Resumen

ARANEO, Diego C et al. Characterization Of Summer Soundings From Northern Mendoza By Principal Components Analysis And The Obtaining Of A Convection Index. Meteorologica [online]. 2011, vol.36, n.1, pp.31-47. ISSN 1850-468X.

The Principal Components Analysis  was used  to characterize the summery North Mendoza rawinsondes, evaluating their capacity to identify  patterns associated to the convection occurrence and defining an instability index. It was selected 326 cases, building an entry matrix with the temperature and dew point temperature anomalies for the standard levels between 850 and 300 hPa.  The analysis showed 6 significant components that explain more than 91% of variance. Therefore, 12 patterns were obtained, which represent different atmospheric conditions. The main correlations between the patterns and convection (C) and non convection (NC) cases were obtained for the components 6, 2, 4 and 3. The  relatively wet environments with a strong gradient of T at mean and high levels would favour the convection, while it is inhibited with dry layers in mean and high  levels, and weak gradients of T in low layers. The C/NC  index can  be  estimated  by a logistic  multiple regression dependent  to  the component loadings, with a correlation  of 0,5, determining  a  stability/instability  index calculable from the T and Td profiles and it depends on the climatological features of the region. The index showed an efficiency of 72%.

Palabras clave : North of Mendoza; Rawinsondes; Convection; Instability index.

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