Influences of Tidal Fronts on Coastal Winds Over an Inland Sea

A regional numerical model of the atmosphere was applied to an inland sea, the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, to study the influence of sea-surface temperature (SST) variations, accompanied by a tidal front, on the coastal winds in summer when tidal fronts fully develop. After confirmation of the model performance, two sensitivity simulations, which used spatially uniform SST with the highest and lowest values over the study area, were performed. The control and sensitivity simulations show that the mean wind speeds were apparently reduced by the low SST and the SST gradient accompanying the tidal front. The comparison of the terms in the momentum equations in control and sensitivity simulations indicates that the change of the perturbation pressure gradient force with the SST gradient is the most important factor in the modification of near-surface winds with SST variations. When the air flows across a tidal front, the air cools over the low SST area and warms over the high SST area. Consequently, the surface perturbation pressure increases over the low SST area and decreases over the high SST area. This adjustment in surface perturbation pressure produces an additional pressure gradient force with direction from the low SST area to the high SST area that decelerates the surface wind in the area upwind of the tidal front and accelerates the surface wind downwind of the tidal front.