Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://cicese.repositorioinstitucional.mx/jspui/handle/1007/4027
Freshwater exchanges and surface salinity in the Colombian basin, Caribbean Sea
Emilio Beier
Gladys Bernal
Mauricio Ruiz-Ochoa
eric barton
Acceso Abierto
Atribución
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182116
sea water, fresh water, Article, Caribbean, dilution, dry season, El Nino, environmental parameters, evaporation, freshwater exchange, geographic distribution, molecular weight, oscillation, precipitation, river basin, salinity, seasonal variation, s
Despite the heavy regional rainfall and considerable discharge of many rivers into the Colombian Basin, there have been few detailed studies about the dilution of Caribbean Surface Water and the variability of salinity in the southwestern Caribbean. An analysis of the precipitation, evaporation and runoff in relation to the climate variability demonstrates that although the salt balance in the Colombian Basin overall is in equilibrium, the area south of 12N is an important dilution sub-basin. In the southwest of the basin, in the region of the Panama-Colombia Gyre, Caribbean Sea Water is diluted by precipitation and runoff year round, while in the northeast, off La Guajira, its salinity increases from December to May by upwelling. At the interannual scale, continental runoff is related to El Niño Southern Oscillation, and precipitation and evaporation south of 12°N are related to the Caribbean Low Level Jet. During El Niño years the maximum salinification occurs in the dry season (December-February) while in La Niña years the maximum dilution (or freshening), reaching La Guajira Coastal Zone, occurs in the wet season (September-November). © 2017 Beier et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
2017
Artículo
PLoS ONE, Vol.12, No.8, Pags. 1-19
Inglés
Beier E., Bernal G., Ruiz-Ochoa M., Barton E.D. 2017. Freshwater exchanges and surface salinity in the Colombian basin, Caribbean Sea. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0182116. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182116
OCEANOGRAFÍA
Versión publicada
publishedVersion - Versión publicada
Appears in Collections:Artículos - Unidad Foránea La Paz

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