One back-trajectories model in describing a flow climatology in
Canary Islands.
P. Sancho
Dpto. de Fisica,
Campus de Tafira. Ed Ciencias Basicas,
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SPAIN
O. Introduction
The characterization of different air masses arriving at a baseline station is a great
aid in determining atmospheric background conditions. The features of the air masses
depend on their source areas as well as their trajectories. When the air masses move over
the ocean, their physical and chemical properties are different from those of air masses that
pass over land. For example, air masses passing over western Europe on the way to Izafia
Observatory (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) often show evidence of anthropogenic
pollution, whereas maritime air masses are usually very clean.
Since a climatology of back-trajectories is useful in analysing the changes of daily
mean concentrations of trace compounds and aerosol particles sampled at air pollution
baseline stations, we applied one trajectories model to develope an air mass climatology of
back-trajectories for a 5-year period from Izafia Observatory.
An antecedent of this study for the Canary Islands is that of Coude-Gaussen et at.
(1987), who computed several trajectories to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, using wind
analyses at 925 HPa produced by the European Center for Medium Range Weather
Forecast. Bergametti et at. (1989) have computed back-trajectories from Fuerteventura in
order to study the transport of Saharan dust; Haagenson and Sperry (1989) studied
trajectories in the North Atlantic Ocean, using the National Center for Atmospheric
Research isentropic model. In addition, they investigated the relationship of backtrajectories with wind direction and synoptic patterns.
NATO ASI Series, Vol. 148
The Mathematics of Models for Climatology
and Environment
Edited by Jesus I1defonso Diaz
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1997
Canary Islands.
P. Sancho
Dpto. de Fisica,
Campus de Tafira. Ed Ciencias Basicas,
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SPAIN
O. Introduction
The characterization of different air masses arriving at a baseline station is a great
aid in determining atmospheric background conditions. The features of the air masses
depend on their source areas as well as their trajectories. When the air masses move over
the ocean, their physical and chemical properties are different from those of air masses that
pass over land. For example, air masses passing over western Europe on the way to Izafia
Observatory (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) often show evidence of anthropogenic
pollution, whereas maritime air masses are usually very clean.
Since a climatology of back-trajectories is useful in analysing the changes of daily
mean concentrations of trace compounds and aerosol particles sampled at air pollution
baseline stations, we applied one trajectories model to develope an air mass climatology of
back-trajectories for a 5-year period from Izafia Observatory.
An antecedent of this study for the Canary Islands is that of Coude-Gaussen et at.
(1987), who computed several trajectories to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, using wind
analyses at 925 HPa produced by the European Center for Medium Range Weather
Forecast. Bergametti et at. (1989) have computed back-trajectories from Fuerteventura in
order to study the transport of Saharan dust; Haagenson and Sperry (1989) studied
trajectories in the North Atlantic Ocean, using the National Center for Atmospheric
Research isentropic model. In addition, they investigated the relationship of backtrajectories with wind direction and synoptic patterns.
NATO ASI Series, Vol. 148
The Mathematics of Models for Climatology
and Environment
Edited by Jesus I1defonso Diaz
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1997