On the existence of Lloró (the rainiest locality on Earth): Enhanced ocean‐land‐atmosphere interaction by a low‐level jet

Fitoplancton y zooplancton en el área marina protegida de Isla Gorgona, Colombia, y su relación con variables oceanográficas en estaciones lluviosa y seca

“…A una escala regional, la variación estacional es modulada principalmente por el desplazamiento de la Zona de Convergencia intertropical (ZCiT) y la consecuente intensificación del jet de viento de Panamá durante la época seca (diciembre-abril) (Eslava, 1993;Díaz, Pinzón, Perdomo, Barrios & López-Victoria, 2001;Poveda & Mesa, 2000;Amador, Alfaron, Lizano & Magaña, 2006;Giraldo et al, 2008;Blanco, 2009), que genera el ingreso de aguas subsuperficiales frías (<20°C), salinas (>34) y ricas en nutrientes al Pacífico colombiano, (Forsbergh, 1969;Rodrí-guez-Rubio & Stuardo, 2002;Fiedler & Talley, 2006;D'Croz & O'Dea, 2007). Estas aguas, advectadas desde la zona central de la cuenca del Océano Pacífico colombiano, conforman a lo largo de la zona nerítica la Corriente de Colombia (Rodríguez-Rubio, Schneider & Abarca del Rio, 2003;Devis-Morales, Schneider, Montoya-Sánchez & Rodríguez-Rubio, 2008), corriente que influencia las condiciones oceanográficas de la región costera, siendo reportado para isla Gorgona el ascenso de la termoclina (7.5m-isoterma de 22°C), con la consecuente entrada de aguas frías y salinas entre febrero y abril (Díaz et al, 2001;Giraldo, 2008;Giraldo et al, 2008).…”

<strong>Role of Caribbean low-level jet and Choco jet in the transport of moisture patterns towards Central America</strong>

“…The Caribbean jet index (ICLLJ) is calculated as a spatial average of the additive inverse of the anomalies of the zonal component of the wind at 925 hPa over the region 12.5-17.5 ° N, 80-70 ° W, based on the methodology proposed by Wang [14]. The Choco jet index (ICJ) is similarly calculated as a zonal wind spatial average in the region 5 ° S-7.5 ° N, 80 ° W, following Poveda and Mesa [15]. In the case of the ENSO, hydrological years are constructed using the corresponding ENSO years classification, carried out by the NOAA climate prediction center, through the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI), available on the website: http://origin.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ONI_v5.php.…”

Improved long‐term mean annual rainfall fields for Colombia

“…Comparing the newly developed long-term average precipitation fields with some of the previously estimated rainfall fields over Colombia (Snow, 1976;Oster, 1979;Mesa et al, 1997;Mejía et al, 1999;Poveda and Mesa, 2000;Vélez et al, 2000;Poveda et al, 2007), the following results are worth noting: (a) All interpolation algorithms capture the most recognizable features of rainfall over the Caribbean region, with average rainfall estimates below 1500 mm year −1 , including three well-known extreme precipitation spots: (1) the extremely dry Guajira region in northeastern Colombia (labelled as 1 in precipitation fields of Figure 6), with average rainfall estimates around 300-400 mm year −1 , and (2) two rainy regions, one near Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (labeled as 2 in precipitation fields of Figure 6), with estimates around 1900 mm year −1 , and the southern region of Bolivar's department (labelled as 3 in precipitation fields of Figure 6), with estimates around 3500 mm year −1 , (b) With the only exception of SCK (Figure 6(b)), all interpolation algorithms were able to capture the presence of the PO within the intra-Andean (Cauca and Magdalena River) valleys. Figure 8 contains four longitudinal profiles of both topography and mean annual precipitation.…”

“…Interestingly, the Chocó and the Caribbean low-level jets exhibit out-phased annual cycles. Both the westerly Chocó jet and the easterly trade winds interact among themselves and also with the topography of the Central and western Andes, giving rise to one of the rainiest regions on the planet over the Pacific coast of Colombia (Lopez and Howell, 1967;Eslava, 1994;Poveda and Mesa, 2000;Mapes et al, 2003aMapes et al, , 2003b.…”

“…First, the westerly low-level Chocó jet flowing onshore from the Pacific Ocean, tightly linked to the clear-cut diurnal dynamics of mesoscale convective systems over the region (Velasco and Frisch, 1987;Poveda and Mesa, 2000;León et al, 2001;Mapes et al, 2003aMapes et al, , 2003bMejía and Poveda, 2005). Second, the so-called San Andres or Caribbean low-level jet (Amador and Magaña, 1999;Poveda and Mesa, 1999;Wang, 2007;Whyte et al, 2007) and third, a mid-atmosphere jet at 700-600 hPa over Central Colombia .…”