Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
SOE: Fachverband Physik sozio-ökonomischer Systeme
SOE 11: Poster Session
SOE 11.3: Poster
Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 18:05–18:45, P2
Investigating the topology of interacting networks - Theory and application to coupled climate networks — •Jonathan F. Donges1,2, Hanna C.H. Schultz1,3, Norbert Marwan1, Yong Zou1, and Jürgen Kurths1,2 — 1Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O.Box 60 12 03, 14412 Potsdam, Germany — 2Department of Physics, Humboldt University of Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany — 3Department of Physics, Free University Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Network theory provides various tools for investigating the structural or functional topology of many complex systems found in nature, technology and society. Nevertheless, it has recently been realised that a considerable number of systems of interest should be treated, more appropriately, as interacting networks or networks of networks. Here we introduce a novel graph-theoretical framework for studying the interaction structure between subnetworks embedded within a complex network of networks. This framework allows us to quantify the structural role of single vertices or whole subnetworks with respect to the interaction of a pair of subnetworks on local, mesoscopic and global topological scales.
Climate networks have recently been shown to be a powerful tool for the analysis of climatological data. Applying our general framework, we introduce coupled climate networks to represent and investigate the topology of statistical relationships between the fields of distinct climatological variables. This yields interesting insights into the atmosphere's general circulation structure.