Characterizing the Atmospheric Circulation over the Colombian Orinoquia through Lagrangian Back-Trajectory Analysis

The ongoing transformation of the Colombian Orinoquia (Eastern Plains) due to the rapid expansion of the agricultural frontier and oil production implies a series of new atmospheric emissions, which might negatively impact human health and ecosystems in different ways. Some air pollutants have already been detected in the region. This is the case of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which are sampled in a site of the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) network located in Arauca, Colombia. The current understanding on the origin and transport of pollutants is limited due to the lack of information on the atmospheric circulation in the Colombian Orinoquia. This research aims at generating new knowledge on the meteorology of this region mainly for weather forecasting and atmospheric pollution impact assessment. We present a conceptual model of the atmospheric circulation in the Colombian Orinoquia, including the main synoptic and mesoscale factors governing its meteorology. In order to identify the source of air masses and synoptic scale disturbances, we used Lagrangian back trajectories obtained with the model HYSPLIT 4.9 over the period 2000-2010. NCEP/NCAR and Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) reanalysis results were used as meteorological input to HYSPLIT. Prior to the Lagrangian simulation, these global datasets were evaluated for their capability to reproduce meteorological observations in the region, particularly for rain and flood-triggering conditions. The observational data included satellite images and ground level network measurements by the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Research (IDEAM). Windgridds and other data analysis tools were used.