Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics
Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics
NPG
Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-10-493-2003
© Author(s) 2003. This work is licensed under
the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-10-493-2003
© Author(s) 2003. This work is licensed under
the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
31 Dec 2003
 | 31 Dec 2003

Conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation and its applications

M. Mu, W. S. Duan, and B. Wang

Abstract. Conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) is proposed to study the predictability of numerical weather and climate prediction. A simple coupled ocean-atmosphere model for ENSO is adopted as an example to show its applicability. In the case of climatological mean state being the basic state, it is shown that CNOP tends to evolve into El Niño or La Niña event more probably than linear singular vector (LSV) on the condition that CNOP and LSV are of the same magnitude of norm. CNOP is also employed to study the prediction error of El Niño and La Niña events. Comparisons between CNOP and LSV demonstrate that CNOP is more applicable in studying the predictability of the models governing the nonlinear motions of oceans and atmospheres.

How to cite. Mu, M., Duan, W. S., and Wang, B.: Conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation and its applications, Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 10, 493–501, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-10-493-2003, 2003.