The Pacific Ocean is vast, and its water temperature affects weather worldwide. In the very center of the ocean, there is a region where water warms and cools, influencing rains in some countries and droughts in others. Previously, it was thought that the main birthplace of these changes is the eastern part of the ocean, near the coast of South America. But a new study using a computer program showed that the western part is more important.
Why is that? The ocean has waves that travel from east to west. When they reach the western edge, they reflect and return to the center, carrying information about the future. So, by looking west, you can learn what will happen in the center. This discovery will help improve weather predictions and prepare for climate changes.
The authors created 5000 versions of the same neural network, changing only the initial random filter weights. The spread in forecast accuracy among these versions was comparable to the difference between different architectures, echoing the sensitivity of chaotic systems to initial conditions.