ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
Snow albedo is an important variable in the coupled atmosphere-earth system at the global level. Moreover, studying its behavior allows us to know the state of the cryosphere. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is a glacier area and the northernmost tropical (10.82° N, 73.75° W) region in South...
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/11/437 |
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| author | Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz Viverlys L. Diaz-Gutiérrez Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo |
| author_facet | Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz Viverlys L. Diaz-Gutiérrez Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo |
| author_sort | Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Snow albedo is an important variable in the coupled atmosphere-earth system at the global level. Moreover, studying its behavior allows us to know the state of the cryosphere. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is a glacier area and the northernmost tropical (10.82° N, 73.75° W) region in South America. It has a height of up to 5775 m.a.sl., which is the second highest mountain in the world near the marine coast. We analyzed variations in snow albedo related to snow cover, snowfall, temperature, light-absorbing impurities such as blank carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and dust, and El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon through 20 years (2000–2020). We mainly use daily data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua NASA satellites. Results showed through correlations that snow albedo has decreased due to Land Surface Temperature (55%, <i>p</i> < 0.001), a positive phase of ENSO (42%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and dust (37%, <i>p</i> < 0.01) in the SNSM. Additionally, a dust negative effect was more evident on the southern side (up to 49%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) of the SNSM. Backward trajectories by the NOAA HYSPLIT model suggest that dust sources would be soil erosion in the surrounding region. Results can help recognize the influence of ENSO and dust in the glacier decrease of the SNSM. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:04:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-78542c3d12a442359ed91393b547166d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:04:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-78542c3d12a442359ed91393b547166d2023-11-20T19:57:52ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632020-11-01101143710.3390/geosciences10110437ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ColombiaTomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz0Viverlys L. Diaz-Gutiérrez1Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo2Mendoza Regional Faculty, National Technological University (FRM-UTN), Mendoza M5500, ArgentinaEnvironmental Systems Modeling Research Group (GIMSA), Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470001, ColombiaEnvironmental Systems Modeling Research Group (GIMSA), Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470001, ColombiaSnow albedo is an important variable in the coupled atmosphere-earth system at the global level. Moreover, studying its behavior allows us to know the state of the cryosphere. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is a glacier area and the northernmost tropical (10.82° N, 73.75° W) region in South America. It has a height of up to 5775 m.a.sl., which is the second highest mountain in the world near the marine coast. We analyzed variations in snow albedo related to snow cover, snowfall, temperature, light-absorbing impurities such as blank carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and dust, and El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon through 20 years (2000–2020). We mainly use daily data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua NASA satellites. Results showed through correlations that snow albedo has decreased due to Land Surface Temperature (55%, <i>p</i> < 0.001), a positive phase of ENSO (42%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and dust (37%, <i>p</i> < 0.01) in the SNSM. Additionally, a dust negative effect was more evident on the southern side (up to 49%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) of the SNSM. Backward trajectories by the NOAA HYSPLIT model suggest that dust sources would be soil erosion in the surrounding region. Results can help recognize the influence of ENSO and dust in the glacier decrease of the SNSM.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/11/437snow albedoMODISENSOMERRA-2light-absorbing impuritiesblack carbon |
| spellingShingle | Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz Viverlys L. Diaz-Gutiérrez Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia Geosciences snow albedo MODIS ENSO MERRA-2 light-absorbing impurities black carbon |
| title | ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
| title_full | ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
| title_fullStr | ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
| title_short | ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
| title_sort | enso and light absorbing impurities and their impact on snow albedo in the sierra nevada de santa marta colombia |
| topic | snow albedo MODIS ENSO MERRA-2 light-absorbing impurities black carbon |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/11/437 |
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