Title
The Orinoco Low-Level Jet and the Cross-Equatorial Moisture Transport Over Tropical South America: Lessons From Seasonal WRF Simulations
Date Issued
16 February 2022
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Martinez J.A.
Arias P.A.
Condom T.
Dominguez F.
Morales J.S.
Publisher(s)
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Abstract
A study of the simulation of the Orinoco Low-Level Jet (OLLJ) and the cross-equatorial moisture transport over tropical South America using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is presented. The focus is on the diurnal cycle and monthly means during one December-January-February (DJF) season (2003–2004). The sensitivity of the OLLJ and cross-equatorial moisture transport to the representation of surface fluxes and turbulence is explored by using two different Land Surface Models (LSM) and three Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) schemes. Different LSMs produce large differences in the sensible heat flux over the Orinoco basin, but no substantial differences in the flow at the entrance of the OLLJ. However, these changes in surface fluxes were associated with a change in the low-level pressure gradient between the Orinoco and Amazon basins, and with up to 10% change in the simulated cross-equatorial moisture transport. The largest effects from different PBL schemes were found in the low-level flow near the Andes cordillera, and on the low-level southward cross-equatorial flow during the daytime. One of the PBL schemes exhibited a reduced moisture transport on the eastern flank of the Andes but enhanced southward transport around the core of the cross-equatorial moisture flux. Another PBL scheme produced a stronger net cross-equatorial moisture transport, with enhanced precipitation over the Andes-Amazon region by up to 30% during the afternoon and up to 13% in the daily mean. Improved observations over the region are needed to evaluate which combination best represents the flow.
Volume
127
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Investigación climática Meteorología y ciencias atmosféricas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85124488451
Source
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
ISSN of the container
2169897X
Sponsor(s)
J. Alejandro Martínez, Paola A. Arias, and José S. Morales were partially supported by MINCIENCIAS through the Grant Nos. 80740‐490‐2020, as part of the Program "SOSTENIBILIDAD DE SISTEMAS ECOLÓGICOS Y SOCIALES EN LA CUENCA MAGDALENA‐CAUCA BAJO ESCENARIOS DE CAMBIO CLIMÁ TICO Y PÉRDIDA DE BOSQUES” (Code: 1115‐852‐70,719) with funding from "PATRIMONIO AUTÓNOMO FONDO NACIONAL DE FINANCIAMIENTO PARA LA CIENCIA, LA TECNOLOGÍA Y LA INNOVACIÓN FRANCISCO JOSÉ DE CALDAS". This study was conducted as part of of the International Joint Laboratory GREAT‐ICE, a joint initiative of the IRD and universities and institutions in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Jhan Carlo Espinoza, Clementine Junquas, and Thomas Condom were partially supported by the French AMANECER‐MOPGA project funded by ANR and IRD, France (ref. ANR‐18‐MPGA‐0008). All the computations were performed using the GRICAD infrastructure https://gricad.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr ), which is partly supported by the Equip@Meso project (reference ANR‐10‐EQPX‐29‐01) of the programme Investissements d'Avenir supervised by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche. Francina Dominguez was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award AGS 1454089.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus