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Scaling the Vertical Structure of Sea Breezes

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Abstract

This analysis presents a new set of scalings for sea-breeze circulations. The scales are based on surface-layer turbulent fluxes of sensible heat and momentum, thus avoiding the use of exchange coefficients. Nondimensionalization of the governing equations, using the new scales, results in four dimensionless governing parameters, two of which are new. A data set consisting of 36 profiles of atmospheric variables during pure sea-breeze circulations is presented. The data are used to generate scaling laws for dimensionless sea-breeze depth and strength in the form of products of powers of the governing dimensionless parameters. These scaling laws are used to nondimensionalize individual velocity profiles, which are composited to present a universal dimensionless sea-breeze velocity profile. The scaling laws, applied as a diagnostic scheme, are used to investigate the diurnal evolution of the depth and strength of sea breezes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Science Programme, Department of Geography, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C, Canada

    D.G. Steyn

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  1. D.G. Steyn
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Steyn, D. Scaling the Vertical Structure of Sea Breezes. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 86, 505–524 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000743222389

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000743222389

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