Verification of the geographical origin of modeled air-mass trajectories by means of the isotope composition of rainwater during the SALLJEX experiment.

GONZALEZ M,; DAPEÑA. C.; CERNE, B.; SANCHEZ CCOYLLO, O; FREITAS,S.; SILVA DIAS, P. L.; PANARELLO, H.O.

ENVIRONMENTAL FLUID MECHANICS

Springer Verlag

Lugar: Heidelberg; Año: 2010 vol. 9 p. 409 - 425

1567-7419

The SALLJEX experiment was held during the summer 2002 2003. It consisted of three-dimensional observation of the atmosphere to study the structure of the low level jet along the eastern slopes of the Andes. Daily precipitation water samples were collected at two stations (Resistencia and Salta) in northern Argentina and isotope content was analyzed. The isotope data were used in conjunction with air parcel trajectories obtained from a 3-D kinematic model (3D-MTC) developed by the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Values of deuterium excess were related with air masses of continental origin, whilst low values were associated with air masses with longer oceanic trajectories. Furthermore, although data are scarce, results show that oxygen-18 and deuterium excess in rainwater are related with the occurrence of the low level jet.Keywords Isotope content · Rainfall · Air mass trajectories · Low level jet