DETERMINACIÓN DE LA OCURRENCIA DE LA INVERSION TÉRMICA ANUAL EN EL LAGO DE AMATITLÁN

Abstract

The thermal inversion or "mixing" is a mixture that occurs in some lakes. It is related to the energy cycle of the earth and its occurrence depends on the temperature changes in the water column, allowing to recognize the water circulation and mixing. According to the inversion occurrence, Lake Amatitlán is classified as a warm monomictic lake as its waters are mixed once a year. Amatitlán Lake is located in the town of Amatitlan, 25 kilometers away from Guatemala City at 1.188 meters above sea level and has a surface area of 15.06 square kilometers. For years studies and research projects have been focused on the physical, chemical and microbiological quality of the water, while the thermal inversion has not been studied yet. The aim of this paper was to determine what time of year the thermal inversion in Amatitlán Lake occurs. This was determine using temperature data (important parameter for lentic systems) of two main sites -East and West side- at different depths within the years 2008 to 2011. Through graphs could be determined that the water inversion usually occurs in the months of November, December, January and February.