Características de la depresión del Noroeste argentino en el período 1997-2003: criterios de selección y análisis estadístico

in this paper we propose and analyze several methodologies to detect northwestern argentinean low (nal) events, in order to document its mean position, intensity, duration and their variability. the period of analysis encompasses from march 1997 to february 2003. through a careful selection of events, various statistical aspects of the nal are documented. this characterization is based on a period substantially longer than any other precedent in this regard, and results obtained are compared with previous ones. our results show similar amount of low pressure events for all seasons, showing that the nal events constitute a dominant pattern that characterizes the climate of southern south america. also, the number of days under nal regime is lower during winter and autumn, as well as the mean duration of the events. finally, we found that the mean position of the nal center turns out to be northward than documented by other authors, exhibiting larger spatial variability during the warm season than during cold one.