Skip to main content

The Climate of the Mexico City Air Basin: Its Effects on the Formation and Transport of Pollutants

  • Chapter
Urban Air Pollution and Forests

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 156))

Abstract

Mexico City is located in the southwestern portion of an elevated basin in the central region of the country and covers an area of 7500 km2. Volcanic ranges surround the lacustrine plains on the east, south, and west. To the north, the basin is bounded by discontinuous ranges. The lowest portion of the lacustrine plain has an average elevation of 2250 meters above sea level (masl). The main forests occupy the upper piedmont of the ranges above 2500 m to the west (Serranía de las Cruces), south (Serranía del Ajusco), and east (Sierra Nevada) and harbor temperate plant communities of pines, fir, and junipers (Sanders et al. 1979). Figure 5.1 shows the locations of these geographical features.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Cortes, M. 1999. Annual cycle of convective activity in Mexico. Atmósfera 12:101–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fast, J.D., and Zhong, S.Y. 1998. Meteorological factors associated with inhomogeneous ozone concentrations within the Mexico City basin. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 103: 18927–18946.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Tejeda, T., and de Bauer, M L.I. 1984. Evolución de ddañoo por gases oxidantes en Pinus hartwegii y P. montezumae en el Ajusco. Agrociencia 56:183–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtzworth, G.C. 1964. Estimates of mean maximum mixing depths in the contiguous U.S. Monthly Weather Rev. 92:235–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1967. Easterly waves and tropical cyclones in Mexico. Ing. Hid. Mexico. 22: 197–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1983. Estimates of atmospheric diffusion in Mexico. Bol. Institute of Geogr. UNAM 13:9–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1986. The urban climate of Mexico City. In Proceedings Urban Climatology and its Applications with Special Regard to Tropical Areas ed. T.R. Oke, pp. 63–86. WMO No. 652. Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1988. Local wind and air pollution interaction in the Mexico Basin. Atmósfera 1:131–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1989. The dust storms of Mexico City. Int. J. Climatol. 9:169–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1993. Mexico City’s heat island revisited. Erdkunde, Band 47:185–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1995a. Rainfall fluctuations and tropical storm activity in Mexico. Erdkunde, Band 49:39–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1995b. Some long-term changes in the climate of Mexico City due to urbanization Bull. Investigaciones Geogr. Inst. Geogr. 31:9–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E. 1997. Heat island development in Mexico City. Atmos. Environ. 31: 3821–3831.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E., and Luyando, E. 1999. Global radiation attenuation by air pollution and its effects on the thermal climate of Mexico City. Int. J. Climatol. 19:683–694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E., and Romales, E. 1996. Urban effects on convective precipitation in Mexico City. Atmos. Environ. 30:3383–3389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E., Klaus, D., and Lauer, W. 1981. An estimation of SO2 transport in Mexico City. Geofís. Int. 20:55–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jáuregui, E., Bauer, L.I., Quevedo, A., Miller, P.R., and Alvarado, A. 1990. Ozone characterization in a mountain forest near Mexico City. In Proceedings Symposium on Urban Climate, Air Pollution and Planning, ed. E. Jáuregui, pp. 7. Guadalajara, Mexico: World Meteorological Organization/Organización Mexicana de Meteorología.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koeppen, W. 1923. Die Klimate der Erde. Grundkriss der Klimakunde. Berlin: Degruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magaña, V., Amador, J., and Medina, S. 1999b. The midsummer drought over Mexico and Central America. J. Climate 12:1577–1588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magaña, V., Perez, J.L., Vazquez, J.L., Carrisoza, E., and Perez, J. 1999a. El Nino and the climate in Mexico. In Impacts of El Niño in Mexico, ed. V. Magaña, pp. 23–66. Mexico City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP)—Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Instituto Interamericano para la Investigación del Cambio Global del Clima (IAI).

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, P.R., Bauer, M.L., Quevedo-Nolasco, A., and Hernández-Tejeda, T. 1994. Comparison of ozone exposure characteristics in forested regions near Mexico City and Los Angeles. Atmos. Environ. 28:141–148.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mosiño, P., and Morales, T. 1988. Tropical cyclones, El Niño and rainfall in Mexico City. Geof. Int. 27:61–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nickerson, C.E., Sosa, G., Hochstein, H., McCasline, P., Luke, W., and Shanot, A. 1992. Measurements of Mexico City air pollution by aircraft. Atmos. Environ. 26B:445–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Vidal, H., and Raga, G.B. 1998. On the vertical distribution of pollutants in Mexico City. Atmósfera 11:95–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raga, G.B., and LeMoine, L. 1996. On the nature of air pollution dynamics in Mexico City—I nonlinear analysis. Atmos. Environ. 30:3987–3993.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raga, G.B., Raga, A.C., and Ruiz Suarez, L.G. 1997. The interaction of particles and gases with solar radiation in Mexico City. In Proceedings Conference on Visual Air Quality, Aerosols, and Global Radiation Balance, ed. Air and Waste Management Association, American Geophysical Union, pp. 459–468. Pittsburth, Pennsylvania, USA: Air and Waste Management Association and the American Geophysical Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raga, G.B., Baumgardner, D., Kok, G., and Rosas, I. 1999. Some aspects of boundary layer evolution in Mexico City. Atmos. Environ. 33:5013–5021.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, W.T., Parsons, J.R., and Stanley, R.S. 1979. The Basin of Mexico: Ecological Processes in the Evolution of a Civilization. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tevini, M. 1993. Effects of enhanced UVB radiation on terrestrial plants. In UV-B Radiation and Ozone Depletion: Effects on Humans, Animals, Plants, Microorganisms, and Materials, ed. M. Tevini, pp. 125–153. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: Lewis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Villiers, L., and Trejo, I. 1997. Assessment of the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate change in Mexico. Climate Res. 9:87–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jáuregui, E. (2002). The Climate of the Mexico City Air Basin: Its Effects on the Formation and Transport of Pollutants. In: Fenn, M.E., de Bauer, L.I., Hernández-Tejeda, T. (eds) Urban Air Pollution and Forests. Ecological Studies, vol 156. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-22520-3_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-22520-3_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9573-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-22520-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics