Sea breeze

About: Sea breeze is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2544 publications have been published within this topic receiving 55651 citations.

High-Resolution ASCAT Scatterometer Winds Near the Coast

Abstract: The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility delivers operational wind products from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) at 25 km and 12.5 km Wind Vector Cell (WVC) spacing. In these products, based on the backscatter processing performed at EUMETSAT, data closer than ~ 70 km (25 km products) or ~ 35 km (12.5 km products) to the coast are flagged because of land contamination. An alternative wind product is presented here which uses a different way of averaging the full resolution (FR) backscatter measurements from ASCAT. The FR backscatter measurements are screened for land contamination in the coastal zone, thus allowing the construction of WVCs that follow the coast line. The implied alternative spatial averaging allows good quality winds over sea as close as 15-20 km to the shore. The alternative (coastal) and nominal products are compared, and the resulting winds are validated with buoy winds, both in coastal and open sea regions. In regions far away from the coast, the ASCAT coastal and nominal products appear to be of identical quality, but fewer WVCs pass the quality control steps for the nominal product, indicating that the coastal product better resolves sub-WVC wind variability. In the coastal region, we anticipate enhanced wind variability due to katabatic and sea breeze effects, among others. However, the quality of the coastal winds in terms of buoy wind component difference standard deviation is almost as good as for the open sea winds.

The inland boundary layer at low latitudes

Abstract: Observations from the Koorin boundary-layer experiment in Australia (latitude 16 °S) were analysed in a study of the nocturnal jet development. For geostrophic winds in the range 10–20 m s-1, ageostrophic wind magnitudes of 5–10m s-1 were common above the surface layer near sunset, with cross-isobar flow angles of about 40 °. The jet that then developed by midnight was probably the result of these large ageostrophic winds, strong surface cooling and favourable baroclinity and sloping terrain. The analysis is supported by numerical model calculations with special emphasis on the role of long-wave radiative cooling on turbulent decay. Decay is rapid in the presence of radiation, although there is little influence on stress divergence levels. Evidence of sea-breeze influences on the jet evolution, and on features of deeply penetrating sea breezes in general, will be presented and discussed in part 2 of this study (submitted to Boundary-Layer Meteorol.).

Annual and Diurnal Wind Patterns in the City of São Paulo

Abstract: The major topographic, mesoscale, and urban influences on the wind patterns of the City of Sao Paulo are characterized using one year of surface wind velocity data observed at 11 surface stations within its urban limits. The data was used to study the diurnal and annual variations of wind velocity and horizontal wind divergence within the city. Results showed that the circulation over the investigated area is dominated by three major factors: sea breeze; mountain-valley circulations; and urban effects, such as roughness, building-barrier, and urban heat island. The sea breeze was found to be the dominant feature of the monthly-averaged diurnal variation of Sao Paulo surface winds during the eight warmest months of the year. The sea breeze front induces a velocity minimum at the time of its passage and a post-frontal afternoon velocity maximum. Mountain-valley thermal effects on the flow can be seen in the temporal divergence/convergence patterns. These thermal effects tend to be more important during colder months, at night, and when the wind velocities are low. Nighttime downslope convergent flows are present over the city during winter and spring and daytime upslope divergent flows are present over the city during summer months.

A theoretical study of the sea breeze

Abstract: Series of observations of the sea breeze has been made along a portion of the New England coast near Block Island, Rhode Island. These observations were presented in an earlier paper (Fisher, 1960). With these data as a basis, a dynamical theory of the sea breeze is described and a numerical solution of these sea-breeze equations is obtained. The solution shows the sea breeze in the stages of development and decay and succeeds in reproducing not only the gross features of the wind system but many of its small details as well. The model sea breeze develops a cellular structure similar to the observed system. The depth of the landward branch of the current, its velocity, the velocity of the return current aloft, the elevation, location, and timing of the maximum flow, agree closely with observations. The model also reproduces the rotational effects due to the Coriolis force. The accumulation of error in the model causes its behavior to become irregular by evening (14 hr from its start) so that the ...