Impact of a sea breeze on the boundary-layer dynamics and the atmospheric stratification in a coastal area of the North Sea

In-situ sodar and lidar measurements were coupled with numerical simulations for studying a sea-breeze event in a flat coastal area of the North Sea. The study’s aims included the recognition of the dynamics of a sea-breeze structure, and its effects on the lower troposphere stratification and the three-dimensional (3D) pollutant distribution. A sea breeze was observed with ground-based remote sensing instruments and analysed by means of numerical simulations using the 3D non-hydrostatic atmospheric model Meso-NH. The vertical structure of the lower troposphere was experimentally determined from the lidar and sodar measurements, while numerical simulations focused on the propagation of the sea breeze inland. The sea-breeze front, the headwind, the thermal internal boundary layer, the gravity current and the sea-breeze circulation were observed and analysed. The development of a late stratification was also observed by the lidar and simulated by the model, suggesting the formation of a stable multilayered structure. The transport of passive tracers inside the sea breeze and their redistribution above the gravity current was simulated too. Numerical modelling showed that local pollutants may travel backward to the sea above the gravity current at relatively low speed due to the shearing between the landward gravity current and the seaward synoptic wind. Such dynamic conditions may enhance an accumulation of pollutants above coastal industrial areas.     

Impact of the Rhône and Durance valleys on sea-breeze circulation in the Marseille area

Sea-breeze dynamics in the Marseille area, in the south of France, is investigated in the framework of the ESCOMPTE experiment conducted during summer 2001 in order to evaluate the role of thermal circulations on pollutant transport and ventilation. Under particular attention in this paper is the sea-breeze channelling by the broad Rhône valley and the narrow Durance valley, both oriented nearly-north–south, i.e., perpendicular to the coastline, and its possible impact on the sea-breeze penetration, intensity and depth, which are key information for air pollution issues. One situation of slight synoptic pressure gradient leading to a northerly flow in the Rhône valley (25 June 2001) and one situation of a weak onshore prevailing synoptic wind (26 June 2001) are compared. The impact of the Rhône and Durance valleys on the sea-breeze dynamics on these two typical days is generalized to the whole ESCOMPTE observing period.The present study shows by combining simple scaling analysis with wind data from meteorological surface stations and Doppler lidars that (i) the Durance valley always affects the sea breeze by accelerating the flow. A consequence is that the Durance valley contributes to weaken the temperature gradient along the valley and thus the sea-breeze circulation. In some cases, the acceleration of the channelled flow in the Durance valley suppresses the sea-breeze flow by temperature gradient inhibition; (ii) the Rhône valley does not generally affect the sea breeze significantly. However, if the sea breeze is combined with an onshore flow, it leads to further penetration inland and intensification of the low-level southerly flow. In this situation, lateral constriction may accelerate the sea breeze. Simple scaling analysis suggests that Saint Paul (44.35°N, about 100 km from the coastline) is the lower limit where sea breeze can be affected by the Rhône valley. These conclusions have implications in air quality topics as channelled sea breeze may advect far inland pollutants which may be incorporated into long-range transport, particularly in the Durance valley.     

Impacts of topography and land degradation on the sea breeze over eastern Spain

Summary A three-dimensional non-hydrostatic atmospheric model RAMS, version3b, is used to examine the impact of complex topography on the sea breeze under heterogeneous and degradation land use characteristics. In the study, it is shown that topography plays an important role in the sea-breeze circulation by aligning the sea breeze front to the coastline and locating the convergence zones close to the mountain range. When the sea breeze is coupled with the upslope wind, the sea-breeze circulation is strengthened by the topography.Sensitivity analyses are carried out to determine the influence of vegetation and soil moisture, i.e., land surface modifications, to this thermally driven flow. Land degradation results in an enhanced sea-breeze circulation which is characterized by a stronger onshore flow, a stronger return current, a larger updraft velocity associated with the sea-breeze front and further inland penetration. Other important features are a deeper sea-breeze depth, a larger downdraft velocity behind the sea-breeze front, and a longer offshore extent. The results also show how land changes modify the sea breeze temporal evolution resulting in an earlier onset and later end. The study stresses the convenience of using three-dimensional models with detailed land surface information to model the sea breeze in complex terrain where land use is rapidly modified.Received February 25, 2002; accepted October 7, 2002 Published online April 10, 2003     

Simulation of coastal winds along the central west coast of India using the MM5 mesoscale model

A high-resolution mesoscale numerical model (MM5) has been used to study the coastal atmospheric circulation of the central west coast of India, and Goa in particular. The model is employed with three nested domains. The innermost domain of 3 km mesh covers Goa and the surrounding region. Simulations have been carried out for three different seasons—northeast (NE) monsoon, transition period and southwest (SW) monsoon with appropriate physics options to understand the coastal wind system. The simulated wind speed and direction match well with the observations. The model winds show the presence of a sea breeze during the NE monsoon season and transition period, and its absence during the SW monsoon season. In the winter period, the synoptic flow is northeasterly (offshore) and it weakens the sea breeze (onshore flow) resulting in less diurnal variation, while during the transition period, the synoptic flow is onshore and it intensifies the sea breeze. During the northeast monsoon at an altitude of above 750 m, the wind direction reverses, and this is the upper return current, indicating the vertical extent of the sea breeze. A well-developed land sea breeze circulation occurs during the transition period, with vertical extension of 300 and 1,100 m, respectively.     

Interaction of the sea breeze with a river breeze in an area of complex coastal heating

A three-dimensional finite-element mesoscale model is used to study the interaction of two different but related mesoscale phenomena in an area having a complex pattern of surface heating. The model simulations have been compared with temperature and wind fields observed on a typical fall day during the Kennedy Space Center Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment on the east coast of Florida.Numerical results and observations both show that the meso- scale flow field is significantly modified from the conventional coastal-flow patterns by the smaller meso- scale irregular geographic features in this area. A local river breeze is observed to develop around the Indian River almost the same time as the Atlantic sea breeze. A comparison of the sea and the river breezes shows a large difference in their horizontal circulations but only slight differences in their vertical scales. The sea breeze intensifies more rapidly than the river breeze, so that a lag of 1 to 1.5 h exists between their most developed stages. The river breeze is relatively stationary, whereas the sea breeze propagates inland, with an eventual merger of the two circulations occurring about 6–8 h after their onset.Different synoptic wind regimes create different flow structures. Well-defined sea- and river-breeze circulations become established under calm, weak offshore, and weak alongshore synoptic-wind conditions. Maximum vertical velocities occur in the sea-breeze front (river-breeze front) in the cases of calm (offshore winds). The sea breeze and the river breeze are weaker when the synoptic winds are stronger.Finally, the results from numerical experiments designed to isolate the rivers' effect indicate that the convergence in the sea-breeze front is suppressed when it passes over the cooler surface of the rivers.Journal Paper No. J-14150 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa, Project No. 2779     

A Coastal Bay Summer Breeze Study,Part 2: High-resolution Numerical Simulation of Sea-breeze Local Influences

We complete the analysis of the data obtained during the experimental campaign around the semi circular bay of Quiberon, France, during two weeks in June 2006 (see Part 1). A reanalysis of numerical simulations performed with the Advanced Regional Prediction System model is presented. Three nested computational domains with increasing horizontal resolution down to 100 m, and a vertical resolution of 10 m at the lowest level, are used to reproduce the local-scale variations of the breeze close to the water surface of the bay. The Weather Research and Forecasting mesoscale model is used to assimilate the meteorological data. Comparisons of the simulations with the experimental data obtained at three sites reveal a good agreement of the flow over the bay and around the Quiberon peninsula during the daytime periods of sea-breeze development and weakening. In conditions of offshore synoptic flow, the simulations demonstrate that the semi-circular shape of the bay induces a corresponding circular shape in the offshore zones of stagnant flow preceding the sea-breeze onset, which move further offshore thereafter. The higher-resolution simulations are successful in reproducing the small-scale impacts of the peninsula and local coasts (breeze deviations, wakes, flow divergences), and in demonstrating the complexity of the breeze fields close to the surface over the bay. Our reanalysis also provides guidance for numerical simulation strategies for analyzing the structure and evolution of the near-surface breeze over a semi-circular bay, and for forecasting important flow details for use in upcoming sailing competitions.     

Vertical Structure of the Urban Boundary Layer over Marseille Under Sea-Breeze Conditions

During the UBL-ESCOMPTE program (June–July 2001), intensive observations were performed in Marseille (France). In particular, a Doppler lidar, located in the north of the city, provided radial velocity measurements on a 6-km radius area in the lowest 3 km of the troposphere. Thus, it is well adapted to document the vertical structure of the atmosphere above complex terrain, notably in Marseille, which is bordered by the Mediterranean sea and framed by numerous massifs. The present study focuses on the last day of the intensive observation period 2 (26 June 2001), which is characterized by a weak synoptic pressure gradient favouring the development of thermal circulations. Under such conditions, a complex stratification of the atmosphere is observed. Three-dimensional numerical simulations, with the Méso-NH atmospheric model including the town energy balance (TEB) urban parameterization, are conducted over south-eastern France. A complete evaluation of the model outputs was already performed at both regional and city scales. Here, the 250-m resolution outputs describing the vertical structure of the atmosphere above the Marseille area are compared to the Doppler lidar data, for which the spatial resolution is comparable. This joint analysis underscores the consistency between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) observed by the Doppler lidar and that modelled by Méso-NH. The observations and simulations reveal the presence of a shallow sea breeze (SSB) superimposed on a deep sea breeze (DSB) above Marseille during daytime. Because of the step-like shape of the Marseille coastline, the SSB is organized in two branches of different directions, which converge above the city centre. The analysis of the 250-m wind fields shows evidence of the role of the local topography on the local dynamics. Indeed, the topography tends to reinforce the SSB while it weakens the DSB. The ABL is directly affected by the different sea-breeze circulations, while the urban effects appear to be negligible.     

多云天气下海南岛地形对局地海风环流结构影响的数值模拟

采用WRF中尺度天气预报模式,针对海南岛多云天气条件下的一次典型海风个例,对局地海风环流结构进行数值模拟,分析海风环流的演变特征,并通过设计改变海南岛地形的敏感性试验,探究地形对海南岛局地海风环流结构以及云水分布的影响。结果表明:海岛西部陡峭的山区造成海风强迫抬升,偏南背景风使得海岛北部高空回流明显,海岛西部、北部的海风结构较为完整;地形高度越高,海岛南部山区的阻挡作用越强,西部地区的海风高空回流特征越显著,西部、西北部云水混合比的位置也越深入内陆;受南海季风的影响,与晴空天气相比,多云天气下海风强盛期全岛的最大风速稍大,海风在垂直方向上达到的高度更高;移平地形后,多云天气下全岛风速平均仅减少2~3 m·s^-1,而晴空天气下全岛风速则大大减弱,即多云天气下海风环流水平结构受地形的影响比晴空天气下弱。     

Numerical simulation of sea and bay breezes in a weak shear environment

Summary A numerical mesoscale model (COAMPS) is used to study some of the features associated with the evolution of the kinematic, thermodynamic, and physical structure of the Alabama sea and bay breeze circulations and convections in weak shear environments based on five cases from Medlin and Croft (1998). The general and expected features and evolution of sea and bay breeze circulations are captured by the model simulations, including horizontal and vertical wind shifts, thermal contrast between land and water surface, vertical stability over water and land, return currents and moisture increase. The relationship of the circulations to specific synoptic flow regimes and local physiographic features was investigated. The sea breeze triggered convective cells are confirmed to have a preferred location according to the flow regime and local conditions. This result can assist the forecasters in understanding the anticipated convective cell initiation and development on a given day as related to sea and bay breeze cells as well as improve the short-term forecast accuracy of the location of thunderstorm initiation based on routine observations and subsequent convective activity. If local NWS office model a selective subset of cases then they can better visualize and forecast those cases operationally.     

Characteristics of sea breeze front development with various synoptic conditions and its impact on lower troposphere ozone formation

To examine the correlation between the sizes of sea breeze fronts and pollutants under the influence of synoptic fields, a numerical simulation was conducted in the southeast coastal area of the Korean Peninsula, where relatively high concentrations of pollutants occur because of the presence of various kinds of industrial developments. Sea breeze and sea breeze front days during the period 2005-09 were identified using wind profiler data and, according to the results, the number of days were 72 and 53, respectively. When synoptic forcing was weak, sea breeze fronts moved fast both in horizontal fields and in terms of wind velocity, while in the case of strong synoptic forcing, sea breeze fronts remained at the coast or moved slowly due to strong opposing flows. In this case, the sea breeze front development function and horizontal potential temperature difference were larger than with weak synoptic forcing. The ozone concentration that moves together with sea breeze fronts was also formed along the frontal surfaces. Ozone advection and diffusion in the case of strong synoptic forcing was suppressed at the frontal surface and the concentration gradient was large. The vertical distribution of ozone was very low due to the Thermal Internal Boundary Layer (TIBL) being low.     

Numerical Simulation of a Sea Breeze Under Dominant Synoptic Conditions at Perth

Summary  The development and movement of sea breezes under the influence of a thermally induced synoptic coastal trough and coastal terrain are simulated. These simulations are analyzed in the context of an extensive observational data set. The synoptic trough acts to determine the presence and intensity of the sea breeze through the advection of warm air in the surface layer whereas local topography acts to enhance the breeze and turn the low-level flow. Interaction between the sea breeze circulation and the trough assists trough movement across the coastline. Received June 16, 1999/Revised November 3, 1999     

中国黄海西岸海陆风循环结构研究

陆海风是由于海陆表面之间的比热容不同而导致的昼夜热量分布差异,从而在海岸附近引发的大气中尺度循环系统.本文利用多普勒风激光雷达Windcube100s首次对黄海西海岸的海陆风的循环结构进行了观测研究.在2018年8月31日至9月28日观测期间发现,海陆风发展高度一般在700 m至1300 m.海陆风转化持续的时间为6小时至8小时.在425m高度,海风水平风速出现最大值,平均为5.6 m s-1.陆风最大水平风速出现在370m,约为4.5 m s-1.最大风切变指数在1300m处,为2.84;在陆风向海风转换过程中,最大风切变指数在700m处,为1.28.在同一高度上,风切变指数在海风盛行和陆风盛行时的差值范围为0.2-3.6,风切变能反映出海陆风的发展高度.     

香港地区海陆风的显式模拟研究

利用MM5模式对香港地区的海陆风进行了显式数值研究,模拟的风向、风速和温度与站点的观测值比较一致,较详细地分析了海陆风的日变化规律和三维结构特征,结果显示香港地区海风分布复杂,主要受偏西、偏南和偏东海风气流的影响,形成多个辐合带,海风锋最远可以深入内陆约90 km;陆风较简单,主要是偏北气流,陆风的风速和强度都比海风要弱,与山谷风、城市热岛环流等形成弱的辐合。香港是一个海岸曲折、多丘陵的地区,其中75%的面积是山区,为了研究这些丘陵地形对香港地区海陆风的影响,设计了保留海陆分布,去掉丘陵地形的敏感性试验,结果表明,由于丘陵地形的存在,在白天地形的热力作用是主要的,增强了海风的强度;而晚上动力阻挡作用比较明显,减弱了陆风的强度。     

多云天气下海南岛海风环流结构的数值模拟

利用WRF-Noah耦合中尺度模式对海南岛2012年7月5日的多云海风个例进行三维高分辨率数值模拟,重点分析多云天气条件下复杂地形区域的海风环流结构及其演变特征。通过观测资料与模拟结果的对比发现,WRF模式能够合理地模拟出岛屿四周的海风演变特征。与少云海风日相似,多云海风日中全岛海风于12时开始形成,15时海风发展最为强盛,影响范围最广,18时全岛海风的辐合程度最强,海风辐合区是主要的潜在降水区域。对比山区与平坦地区的海风环流发现,山区海风环流强盛期为13—18时,而平坦地区海风环流强盛期为15—18时。复杂的山地对海风环流结构有直接和间接的影响:一方面在山地地形动力阻挡和抬升作用下,海风环流变得更加清晰完整,间接延长了海风环流的维持时间;另一方面局地地形热力作用形成的谷风环流与海风几乎同时产生和消亡,两者汇合后,谷风的瞬间加强会引起海风锋锋消,瞬间减弱会引起海风锋锋生;两者同相叠加会使得海风环流结构更加完整。相比之下,平坦地区的海风受到的地形动力和热力作用小,海风水平分布比较规则,海风环流垂直结构的变化主要取决于不同方向海风之间的相互作用。     

Numerical study of the evolution of a sea-breeze front under two environmental flows

The evolution of a sea-breeze front(SBF)in parallel and offshore environmental flows was investigated by using high-resolution simulations of two SBF cases from the Bohai Bay region,China.The results show that the combination of a distinct vertical wind shear caused by the sea-breeze circulation with a neutral or slightly stable atmospheric stratification associated with the thermal inner boundary layer promoted the occurrence and maintenance of a Kelvin-Helmholtz billow(KHB).In a parallel environmental flow,the SBF evolved into a few connected segments because of the inhomogeneity of the sea-breeze direction and intensity as it penetrated inland.A significant upward vertical motion occurred at the two ends of the SBF segment owing to the sea-breeze convergence and was accelerated by the KHB.The KHB made a notable contribution to the intensity at the ends of the segment,whereas the intensity at the middle segment was primarily attributed to the convergence between the sea breeze and the parallel flow.In the offshore environmental flow,the clockwise rotation of the offshore flow varying with time increased the downstream convergence of the interface between the sea breeze and the offshore flow and pushed the downstream convergence zone to an orientation consistent with the offshore flow.The air parcels ascending from the downstream part of the SBF were continuously lifted by the downstream convergence zone during their advection,leading to a significant downstream development of the SBF.The significant upward vertical motion caused by the sea-breeze convergence behind the upstream end of the SBF was shifted to the upstream end of the SBF by the KHB,which enhanced the intensity of the upstream end of the SBF.     

THE ROLE OF LOCAL CIRCULATIONS IN SUMMERTIME CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND NOCTURNAL FOG IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

A non-hydrostatic, fully compressible, regional-scale numerical model of the atmosphere that includes parameterization of cloud microphysics is run in a two-dimensional mode. It uses two different observed vertical profiles of temperature, relative humidity and wind to simulate the local circulation evolution and impact on convection and nocturnal fog occurrence in São Paulo, Brazil. Theatmospheric behaviour generated by the model is similar to the observations of the two summer days with and without sea breeze progression over the plateau. The convective development occurs in the afternoon of the two experiments but with different features and intensities. In the experiment with sea-breeze progression, there is fog formation over the plateau during the following night, in accordance with the observations. A strong northwesterly flow acting in the lower troposphere, with intensity varying between 7 and 10 m s_-1,appears as an inhibiting agent of the sea-breeze progression over the plateau and of convective development in the afternoon and of the nocturnal fog occurrence. In this case, observed gusts during the night are well simulated and appear to be related to the topography.     

Interactions of an urban heat island and sea-breeze circulations during winter over the metropolitan area of São Paulo,Brazil

The Town Energy Budget (TEB) model, a detailed urban parameterisation using a generalised canyon geometry, coupled with the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (RAMS) is used to simulate the wintertime local circulation in the megacity environment of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo (MASP) in Brazil. Model simulations are performed using actual topography and land-use fields. Comparison with a simple urban parameterisation based on the LEAF-2 scheme is also shown. Validation is based on comparison between model simulations and observations. Sensitivity tests with TEB reveal an important interaction between the sea breeze and the MASP heat island circulation. Even though topography is known to play an important role in the MASP region’s weather, in these tests the simulations were performed without topography in order to unambiguously identify the interaction between the two local circulations. The urban heat island (UHI) forms a strong convergence zone in the centre of the city and thereby accelerates the sea-breeze front toward the centre of the city. The presence of the urban region increases the sea-breeze front propagation mean speed by about 0.32 m s⁻¹ when compared with the situation of no city. After its arrival in the urban region, the sea-breeze front stalls over the centre of the city for about 2 h. Subsequently, the sea breeze progresses beyond the city when the heat island dissipates. Thereafter, the sea breeze propagates beyond the urban area at a decelerated rate compared to a simulation without an UHI.     

北京秋季一次重污染过程的成因分析

近年来,北京的大气环境问题日益受到关注。以2002年10月8—13日北京地区一次重污染过程为例,采用中国气象局的MICAPS系统和美国的HYSPLT模式,分别从污染过程产生的天气条件、污染物输送轨迹等方面分析研究此次空气污染的形成原因。结果表明：造成此次重污染过程的不利因素主要包括三个方面,一是较强的海平面高压、均压场控制导致北京地区垂直大气层结稳定,不利于污染物垂直扩散;二是北京地区三面环山,导致近地面为弱的偏南气流控制,不利于污染物水平扩散;三是近地面弱的偏南气流从江苏、山东、河北、天津等地携带了大量的污染物向北京地区输送。     

Scaling Characteristics of Developing Sea Breezes Simulated in a Water Tank

Sea-breeze circulations in a stably stratified environment have been simulated in a water tank. The floor of the tank was divided into two halves representing land and sea; the land side was heated from the bottom of the tank, and the sea side was insulated by an underlying sponge slab. The temperature profiles over both land and sea sides, the land–sea temperature difference, and the horizontal temperature distributions were measured. Particle tracking velocimetry was applied to obtain the two-dimensional velocity field orthogonal to the coastline. It was shown that the overall flow consists of a closed circulation caused by the horizontal temperature difference between land and sea, and a strong updraft occurring at the sea-breeze front. The dimensionless governing parameters are calculated from the measurements and used to characterize the developing sea breezes. The analysis confirms the scaling laws for sea-breeze velocity and depth. The results indicate that the scaling characteristics of the sea-breeze translation speed during the developing period are different to those during the following maintaining period. A criterion for the onset of the sea breeze is proposed based on these results.