Emergence of El Nino as an Autonomous Component in the Climate Network

We construct and analyze a climate network which represents the interdependent structure of the climate in different geographical zones and find that the network responds in a unique way to El Nino events. Analyzing the dynamics of the climate network shows that when El Nino events begin, the El Nino basin partially loses its influence on its surroundings. After typically three months, this influence is restored while the basin loses almost all dependence on its surroundings and becomes autonomous. The formation of an autonomous basin is the missing link to understand the seemingly contradicting phenomena of the afore-noticed weakening of the interdependencies in the climate network during El Nino and the known impact of the anomalies inside the El Nino basin on the global climate system.