The dynamics of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and its diversity within the phase space framework

This thesis explores the dynamics and diversity of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) within the recharge oscillator (ReOsc) model framework. It first examines the observed phase space dynamics of Eastern Pacific (EP) and Central Pacific (CP) events, highlighting how they differ from each other and from canonical ENSO events (T). It then evaluates the ability of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) 5 and 6 models to capture the observed dynamics and characteristics of ENSO. Finally, the study assesses how well CMIP models simulate the observed ENSO diversity and the observed phase space dynamics for EP and CP.