Articles | Volume 16, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-565-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-565-2020
Research article
 | 
05 May 2020
Research article |  | 05 May 2020

A comparison of ocean model data and satellite observations of features affecting the growth of the North Equatorial Counter Current during the strong 1997–1998 El Niño

David J. Webb, Andrew C. Coward, and Helen M. Snaith

Data sets

Reynolds NCEP Level 4 Optimally Interpolated SST Weekly Version 2 R. Reynolds and D. Stokes https://doi.org/10.5067/REYN2-OIMOW

Archive data from run 6 of the NEMO 1/12° global ocean model A. C. Coward https://gws-access.ceda.ac.uk/public/nemo/runs/ORCA0083-N06/means/

Community Ocean Model NEMO https://www.nemo-ocean.eu

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Short summary
In conflict with conventional theory, recent analysis of data from a high-resolution global ocean model showed that the North Equatorial Counter Current was responsible for the unusually warm water which triggered the strong El Niños of 1982–83 and 1997–98. In this paper some of the key physics deduced from the model results are tested against satellite data from the 1997–98 event. The results show that the model closely followed reality during the period, further supporting the new mechanisms.