Synchronization experiments with an atmospheric global circulation model

Synchronization in a chaotic system with many degrees of freedom is investigated by coupling two identical global atmospheric circulation models. Starting from different initial conditions, the two submodels show complete synchronization as well as noncomplete synchronization depending on the coupling strength. The relatively low value of the coupling strength threshold for complete synchronization indicates the potential importance of synchronization mechanisms involved in climate variability. In addition, the results suggest synchronization experiments as a valuable additional method to analyze complex dynamical models, e.g., to estimate the largest Lyapunov exponent. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.