Abstract

LOPEZ, Jorge; ANDRESSEN, Rigoberto  and  LUGO, Arnaldo. Patterns of Tropospheric Winds in the Maracaibo Lake Basin, Venezuela. Terra [online]. 2010, vol.26, n.39, pp.13-30. ISSN 1012-7089.

The pattern of winds in the lower troposphere in the southern and eastern sectors of the Maracaibo Lake basin was studied by using balloon-pilots during the period April-May 2004. The launches were made from El Chivo (08º 56’ 22" N., 71º 37’ 47" O., 23 msnm), Mene Grande (09º 49’ 00" N., 70º 56’ 00" O., 27 msnm), and La Cañada (10º 34’ 00" N., 71º 44’ 00" O., 66 msnm), being divided into morning and afternoon launches, in order to detect the differences in the southern and zonal flows at different times of the day. These flows were obtained for different heights for every launch, using Corrige, a software available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA (NOAA), and was averaged for the three days of the experiment. The diurnal cycle and the effect of lake-land breeze could be observed at Mene Grande and, partially, at El Chivo. At La Cañada, located at the north end of the basin, the increase in wind speed with height was the most remarkable aspect.

Keywords : Flow; Tropospheric Winds; Basin; Balloon-pilots; Maracaibo Lake; Venezuela.