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Local Circulation Diurnal Patterns and Their Relationship with Large-Scale Flows in a Coastal Area of the Tyrrhenian Sea

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Abstract

In order to characterise the local low-level circulation in the Tyrrhenian Sea coastal area near Rome, the wind field observed by conventional anemometers, Doppler sodar, and rawinsonde has been analysed. The prevailing diurnal behaviour of wind speed and direction as a function of season was highlighted, and the existence of two different patterns of the local circulation, mainly due to land and sea breezes and to the drainage flow from the mouth of the Tiber valley, revealed. The comparison between the low-level circulation and synoptic flow allowed us to determine the influence of the large-scale flow on nocturnal currents that are observed at the Pratica di Mare site and the way that wind direction evolves during the day. Numerical simulations are consistent with experimental data and depict the main features of the low-level wind field in the area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, CNR, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Igor Petenko, Giangiuseppe Mastrantonio, Angelo Viola, Stefania Argentini & Lucia Coniglio

  2. A.M.Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics RAS, Pyzhevskiy, 3, Moscow, 109117, Russia

    Igor Petenko

  3. University of Rome “La Sapienza”—DITS, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Monti & Giovanni Leuzzi

Authors
  1. Igor Petenko
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  2. Giangiuseppe Mastrantonio
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  3. Angelo Viola
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  4. Stefania Argentini
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  5. Lucia Coniglio
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  6. Paolo Monti
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  7. Giovanni Leuzzi
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Correspondence to Igor Petenko.

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Petenko, I., Mastrantonio, G., Viola, A. et al. Local Circulation Diurnal Patterns and Their Relationship with Large-Scale Flows in a Coastal Area of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 139, 353–366 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-010-9577-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-010-9577-x

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