Lorenz's Model of Global Atmospheric Circulation

time

41

parameters

a

0.25

b

4.

F

6.

G

1

G'

0.

initial conditions

x

0

1

y

0

5

z

0

10

This attractor arises from Lorenz's model of global atmospheric circulation (known as Lorenz–84). It models the behavior of the Earth's atmosphere on each hemisphere by averaging conditions at different latitudes, enabling a reduction to just three variables, as opposed to the alternative of solving a large number of simultaneous hydrodynamic equations. The model implies an equilibrium between the energy of westerly wind currents and the energy transported toward the poles. As a consequence, heat transfer in each hemisphere generates a global decrease in temperature in the direction of the North and South Poles and also predicts that westerly winds will be weaker.