• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.296-310
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• 2021

El Niño is a typical ocean and atmospheric interaction phenomenon that causes climate variability on a global scale, so it has been used as a very important teaching and learning material in the field of earth science. This study summarized the distribution and dynamics of the equatorial current system. The variability of the equatorial current system during the El Niño period and the associated misconceptions were also investigated. The North Equatorial Current, South Equatorial Current, and Equatorial Under Current significantly weaken during El Niño years. However, the variability of the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) during the El Niño period cannot be generalized because the NECC shows southward movement with weakening in the northern area and strengthening in the southern area, along its central axis. In the western Pacific, the NECC is further south during El Niño years, and thus, it has an eastward flow in the equatorial western Pacific. Our analysis of a mass media science article, a secondary school exam, and a survey for incumbent teachers confirmed disparate ideas about the equatorial current system's variability during El Niño periods. This is likely due to inaccurate interpretations of the existing El Niño schematic diagram and insufficient understanding of the equatorial current and wave dynamics.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 1998

In this study, Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) has been developed as a counterpart of Atmospheric General Circulation (AGCM) for the study of coupled ocean-atmosphere climate system. The oceanic responses to given atmospheric boundary conditions have been investigated using the OGCM. In an integration carried out over 100 simulated years with climatological monthly mean data (EXP 1), most parts of the model reached a quasi-equilibrium climate reproducing many of the observed large-scale oceanic features remarkably well. Some observed narrow currents, however, such as North Equatorial Counter Current, were inevitably distorted due to the model's relatively coarse resolution. The seasonal changes in sea ice cover over the southern oceans around Antarctica were also simulated. In an experiment (EXP 2) under boundary condition of 10-year monthly data (1982-1991) from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Project model properly reproduced major oceanic changes during the period, including El Ni$\tilde{n}$os of 1982-1983 and 1986-87. During the ENSO periods, the experiment showed eastward expansion of warm surface waters and a negative vertical velocity anomalies along' the equator in response to expansion of westerly current velocity anomalies as westerly wind anomalies propagated eastward. Simulated anomalous distribution and the time behavior in response to El Ni$\tilde{n}$o events is consistent with that of the observations. These experiments showed that the model has an ability to reproduce major mean and anomalous oceanic features and can be effectively used for the study of ocean-atmosphere coupling system.