The effect of latitude on the sea breeze

Abstract

Long-term (five-day) integrations of a nonlinear numerical model of the sea breeze at the equator, 20 degrees N, 30 degrees N and 45 degrees N indicate the importance of latitude on the sea breeze circulation. During the hours of strong heating when friction is largest and the static stability is smallest, a local sea-breeze frontal circulation develops in a similar way at all four latitudes. Evaluation of the terms in the circulation theorem indicates that dominance of the solenoid term (horizontal pressure gradient force) associated with the strong temperature contrast during this period. During the rest of the period, however, the pressure gradient and frictional forces weaken, the static stability increases and the Coriolis force is dominant (except at the equator). The results pertaining to the large-scale circulation are in general agreement with Rotunno's linear theory, which predicts a fundamentally different behaviour of the sea-breeze circulation depending upon whether the Coriolis parameter is greater or less than the frequency of the diurnal heating cycle. -from Authors