Fine-tuning Atmospheric Parameters for Improving ENSO Simulation in the Zebiak–Cane Model

The Zebiak–Cane (ZC) model, renowned as a coupled ocean-atmosphere model specifically designed to simulate and predict El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is an indispensable tool for ENSO studies. However, the original ZC model exhibits certain biases in reproducing the ENSO–related sea surface temperature anomalies and heating anomalies, limiting its broader applicability. To improve the accuracy of ENSO simulation, we propose a modified ZC model based on Xie et al. (2015), named the MZC_XJH model, through refining the heating parameterization scheme. The performance in simulating the nonlinear SST–precipitation relationship in the MZC_XJH model is firstly elaborated. Then, we investigate the impacts of three key atmospheric parameters on ENSO simulation by conducting experiments with the MZC_XJH model. Through assessing the performance in simulating five fundamental ENSO metrics (amplitude, periodicity, seasonality, diversity, and skewness), we uncover that the sensitivities of simulated ENSO behaviors to different parameters are distinct. Moreover, we explain why a particular parameter greatly affects some simulated ENSO behaviors while others exert minor influence. We also reveal that the nonlinear effect due to the covariation of multi-parameters on ENSO simulation warrants careful consideration when tuning multi-parameters synchronously. Lastly, we present an updated version of the MZC_XJH model, in which some biases have been mitigated but some remain obvious. Although there are no universally optimal parameters that would ensure flawless performance in simulating every aspect of ENSO, this study provides a valuable reference for tuning atmospheric parameters in the MZC_XJH model, rendering the MZC_XJH model applicable to some research objectives.