On the outflow of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Abstract

Lake Maracaibo, an important wet coastal area located in the Caribbean Sea, is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by a narrow, shallow channel known as Barra de Maracaibo. The water quality of this is poor owing to the very low water rate exchange with the Gulf. The authors make use of sea surface temperature (SST) satellite imagery and numerical modelling to study the conditions of the outflow of Lake Maracaibo. The lake is found to be fully driven by the circulation out of the lake. Three different situations are considered: upwelling, no upwelling, and the transient state between them. The authors propose conceptual and numerical models to explain the conditions for outflow. Moreover, it is found that outflow is possible only when the tradewinds stop and before the warmer waters of the Caribbean have reached the Colombian coasts.