A baixa do noroeste argentino e a sela da Argentina: interações com o transporte de umidade e com sistemas convectivos.

Abstract

The Northwestern Argentinean Low (NAL) is a low thermo-orographic pressure separated of the western winds of middle latitudes by a col in the pressure field, called Argentinean Col. The formation and intensification of NAL generate winds from the north more intense in the east side Andes Cordillera and this winds transport heat and moisture to the South American subtropics. The formation of the Argentinean Col preced maximum frontogenesis, maximum equivalent potential temperature gradient and maximum cold air advection, which results in rainfall in the neighborhood of Argentinean Col. From these scenarios already described in literature, the present work followed three strands of summer studies case for investigated the role of NAL and Argentinean Col in transport moisture and for the formation of mesoscale convective systems (MSC) and of a mesocyclone in the subtropics of South America. For this, were used data from ERA-interim (ECMWF), TRMM precipitation data, and satellite images (GOES-13) for cloudiness. The high (low) variation of NAL intensity and the magnitude of geopotential zonal gradient in much of Argentina between was identified in January 2 and 3 of the year 2016 (between January 23 and 24 of the year 2016) and classified as a case of strong (weak) diurnal cycle. In the case of weak diurnal cycle, the NAL permanence during the night and it generates winds accelerated geostrophically, that generate a supergeostrophic transport moisture to the southeast of the NAL, which it resulted in rainfall in extratropics. In this case, the zonal gradient of geopotential progressively was intensified throughout the day and the NAL was coupled with a trough from the south. In the case of a strong diurnal cycle, moisture transport predominantly was subgeostrophic and the rains associated were more to the north and east of the NAL. In this case, lower values of maximum transport moisture were observed, from a threshold, in comparation to the strong diurnal cycle case. The second part of this work was verified that the presence of the Argentinean Col was an important feature for the formation of convective cells ocurred between December 21 and 23, of the year 2015. The Argentinean Col favored maximum temperature and moisture contrast, and convergence of winds at low levels. In addition to this, the AC favored mechanisms at low levels were important to convection enter into phase. Similar situation of the Argentinean Col role occurred on December 18 of year 2015, when this col favored intense contrast of air masses in a baroclinic zone and in the atmosphere that was previously fed with heat and moisture. In the same day, the rotation of the winds was verified as precondition for a consequent formation of a mesocyclone in the South American subtropics. This case constituted the third study strand of the present work.