Simulaci\'on del flujo de viento sobre el territorio de Guatemala utilizando un modelo clim\'atico regional

TL;DR

This study uses a regional climate model to simulate wind flow over Guatemala in 2016, revealing detailed topography-influenced circulation patterns and diurnal variations at a 2 km resolution.

Contribution

First detailed mesoscale wind circulation analysis over Guatemala using high-resolution regional climate modeling.

Findings

Identification of intense wind zones like Palín, Escuintla

Observation of diurnal wind circulation patterns

Enhanced topography representation at higher resolutions

Abstract

We present an analysis of the wind circulation in the vecinity of the ground surface, for a region centered around Guatemala. We used the regional climate model RegCM to simulate the atmospheric dynamics above that region during the full year 2016. The purpose of the study is to obtain the mesoscale variation (tens of kilometers) of the wind velocity field. It can be seen that as resolution is increased, the details in topography are better represented, they in turn influence the wind circulation patterns on scales of a few kilometers. With a fine resolution of 2 km it is possible to confirm the existence of intense wind flux zones over the surface; such as Pal\'in, Escuintla. We are also able to observe diurnally varying circulations, which are the product of the daily cycle of terrain heating due to the sun and the subsecuent cooling during the night. This is the first report in a line of studies where we plan to analyze the climatic features of the Guatemalan region.