Realistic ENSO Dynamics Requires a Damped Nonlinear Recharge Oscillator

Abstract: The dynamics of the El Ni~no Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are succinctly captured by the Recharge Oscillator (RO) framework. However, to simulate ENSO realistically, careful choices must be made regarding the RO's key parameters. In particular, nonlinear parameters govern how well the model reproduces key ENSO asymmetries-El Ni~no events tend to be stronger but shorter-lived, often transitioning into La Ni~na, whereas La Ni~na events are typically weaker but more persistent, sometimes lasting into a second year or beyond. While amplitude asymmetry has been widely studied within the RO framework, duration and transition asymmetries have received little attention, and their underlying causes remain debated. In this study, by systematically exploring the RO parameter space-rather than relying on commonly used fitting methods-we identify optimal parameter values that successfully capture key linear and nonlinear ENSO characteristics. An analytical expression for the temperature-heat content anomaly slope shows that the choice of heat content variable inherently reflects the sign of the Bjerknes feedback and the ocean adjustment timescale. We further show that self-sustained oscillations fail to reproduce the observed Nino 3 and 3.4 kurtosis. Finally, we demonstrate that incorporating red noise forcing distorts the RO simulated power spectrum and add unnecessary complexity. The most realistic yet simplest RO configuration is a strongly damped oscillator, with a decay timescale shorter than the dominant period, forced by multiplicative white noise and influenced by relatively weak deterministic nonlinearities. Identifying these minimal components preserves the conceptual clarity of the RO framework and isolates the core physical processes underlying ENSO behavior.