Characteristics of sea-land breeze circulation in coastal-urban regions of China

Abstract

Coastal-urban regions confront challenges stemming from the interactions between air quality and meteorological conditions. This study employed observational and reanalysis data from 2015 to 2018 to examine the sea-land breeze (SLB) characteristics in six coastal-urban regions of China. This analysis was based on two criteria: pure SLB, which excluded the background wind field (P-standard SLB), and true SLB, which incorporated the background wind field (T-standard SLB). The results showed that the frequency of SLB was higher in summer and autumn, and lower in winter and spring. Strong sea breeze (SB) days were predominantly observed in summer, whereas strong land breeze (LB) days were more common in winter. The frequency of P-standard SLB days (> 20%) was higher than that of T-standard SLB days (less than 10% at most stations). The onset time of SB was between 11:00 and 15:00 LST, while its cessation time was between 17:00 and 21:00 LST, with a duration of approximately 5−7 h. The onset time of LB was generally between 01:00 and 05:00 LST, while the cessation time was between 08:00 and 10:00 LST, with a duration of approximately 3−6 h. For every 10° increase in latitude, the onset time of P-standard (T-standard) SB was approximately 0.3 (0.7) hours earlier. The intensity and duration of both P- and T-standard SB were greater than those of LB. Overall, the SB intensity was observed to be stronger during spring and summer times, whereas the LB intensity was generally strongest in winter. Compared with the P-standard SLB, the intensity of T-standard SB (LB) was stronger (weaker). For every 5°C increase in the sea-land temperature difference, the development trend of SLB increases by approximately 0.1 m/s/hr. However, under the same sea-land temperature differences, the development trend of SLB in low-latitude areas was weaker than that observed in high-latitude areas.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

sea-land breeze / onset / cessation / sea-land temperature difference / hodograph rotation / coastal regions

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