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The first meteorological observations at a tropical high elevation site: Antisana, 1846

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Abstract

Antisana is a stratovolcano with an associated glacier located in the Ecuadorian Andes. Dr Aguirre made meteorological readings every day, at every hour from sunrise to sunset, from December 1845 to December 1846, at Antisana using a meteorological station at 4060 mamsl (meters above mean sea level). Unfortunately, only the monthly average data have been preserved. These meteorological data are here studied and compared with the closest modern stations for monthly values of temperature, rainfall, and pressure. According to these comparisons, the year 1846 was rainy and cold in comparison with the current climate. Moreover, these observations have been useful to help resolve a debate about a possible El Niño event in 1846 with the high precipitation in Antisana and Quito in 1846 discarding the occurrence of an El Niño event. The probable occurrence of a La Niña event is discussed. These data are the earliest known systematic instrumental meteorological observations taken at above 4000 mamsl.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, 06071, Spain

    Ana Mª M. Farrona & Mª Cruz Gallego

  2. Instituto de Física de Cantabria (UC–CSIC), Santander, 39005, Spain

    Ana Mª M. Farrona

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, 170112, Ecuador

    Fernando Domínguez-Castro

  4. Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología, Quito, 170135, Ecuador

    Fernando Domínguez-Castro

  5. Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua, Cambio Climático y Sostenibilidad (IACYS), Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, 06071, Spain

    Mª Cruz Gallego & José M. Vaquero

  6. Departamento de Física, Centro Universitario de Mérida, Universidad de Extremadura, Mérida, 06800, Spain

    José M. Vaquero

Authors
  1. Ana Mª M. Farrona
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  2. Fernando Domínguez-Castro
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  3. Mª Cruz Gallego
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  4. José M. Vaquero
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Correspondence to José M. Vaquero.

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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6025-0787

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3085-7040

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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8754-1509

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Farrona, A.M.M., Domínguez-Castro, F., Gallego, M.C. et al. The first meteorological observations at a tropical high elevation site: Antisana, 1846. J. Mt. Sci. 13, 1047–1055 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3795-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3795-0

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