Eur. Phys. J. B (2012) 85: 389
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2012-30413-7

Regular Article

Structural evolution of the Tropical Pacific climate network

¹ Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering. The University of Newcastle, University Drive, 2308 Callaghan NSW, Australia
² LaCCAN/CPMAT – Instituto de Computação, Universidade Federal de Alagoas BR 104 Norte km 97 57072-970 Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
³ Laboratorio de Sistemas Complejos, Facultad de Ingeniería. Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1063 Av. Paseo Colón 840, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
⁴ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
⁵ Departamento de Engenharia de Produção, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte – MG, Brazil

^a e-mail: patricia.saco@newcastle.edu.au

Received: 23 May 2012
Received in final form: 8 September 2012
Published online: 29 November 2012

Abstract

A new methodology based on information theory is used to explore the evolution of the surface air temperature climate network over the Tropical Pacific region. Topological changes over the period 1948–2009 are investigated using windows of one year duration. Alternating states of lower/higher efficiency in information transfer are consistently captured during the opposing phases of ENSO (i.e., El Niño and La Niña years). This cyclic information transfer behavior reflects a higher climatic stability for La Niña years which is in good agreement with current observations. In addition, after the 1976/77 climate shift, a change towards more frequent conditions of decreased information transfer efficiency is detected.