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Tropical Pacific sea surface and dynamic height anomalies: | 
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A dynamical view of subsurface seasonal to interannual variability | 
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 | 
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K. Lorbacher, R.E. Davis and P.P. Niiler, SIO | 
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 | 
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The variability on seasonal to interannual scales of the sea surface and | 
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dynamic height in the tropical Pacific should contribute essentially to  | 
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enlighten the El Nino event, ultimately to identify different El Nino's. | 
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We analyze TOPEX/Poseidon sea surface height measurements and dynamic | 
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heights (relative to 500 m) from the TAO/Trition array. They are opposed | 
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to corresponding parameter of two solutions of the global ECCO ocean | 
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state | 
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estimation: with a two and one degree global grid, whereas latter | 
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includes all WOCE data over the period from 1992 to 2001. | 
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To illuminate considerable differences in the model-data comparisons | 
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studies we address two main questions: (1) How does the model represent | 
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the | 
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phase and the amplitude of the El Nino cycle (2) and to what | 
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quantitative | 
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extend is the different model configuration responsible for the | 
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deviations from | 
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the observations? |