Variability of the Southwestern Patagonia (51°S) Winds in the Recent (1980–2020) Period: Implications for Past Wind Reconstructions

Carolina Gómez-Fontealba,Stéphane Christophe Alfaro,Valentina Flores-Aqueveque

doi:10.3390/atmos13020206

Abstract

The Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SWW) control the amount and latitudinal distribution of rainfall in southwestern Patagonia. Recent studies have shown that SWW has intensified in the last decades, but their past behavior is not yet well understood. To understand this behavior, it is necessary to analyze climatic data from meteorological stations and reconstruct their variability through paleoclimatic evidence, such as lake cores. Nevertheless, Patagonia is an austral region characterized by its complex topography and quasi lack of a meteorological network. In this work, three reanalyses are studied (MERRA-2, ERA5, and GLDAS) and compared with the Cerro Castillo and Teniente Gallardo stations (~51°S), with the aim of simulating the winds in the past. The results indicate that ERA5 and MERRA-2 simulate well the wind variability in the study region, while GLDAS is less reliable. Therefore, the first two reanalyses could be used to extend the time series of the meteorological station and calibrate a new wind proxy based on the abundance and size of the aeolian particles, reconstructing in a direct way the intensity of the SWW in the past over southwestern Patagonia.

Highlights

Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) are a belt of winds that blow from west to east at mid-latitudes due to global atmospheric circulation
The reanalyses and the measurements have facilitated the understanding of the recent wind variability in southwestern Patagonia (51°S)
The first important result is that despite the complex topography of the region of study the winds measured at the Cerro

Summary

Introduction

Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) are a belt of winds that blow from west to east at mid-latitudes due to global atmospheric circulation. The SWW control precipitations and climate [1,4], important variations in these winds generate environmental, social, and economic consequences over this part of the Southern Hemisphere (SH). If you want to understand future global climate patterns, past behavior of SWW is required, for example, to evaluate the consequences of these winds in the future atmospheric CO2 [5]. In this sense, it is important to know the behavior of the SWW in the past, and Chile presents a unique location for reconstruction because it is the only continental mass that covers the entire latitudinal range of the SWW

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Conclusion