Search results for "Sea breeze"

Analysis of a severe pollution episode in Valencia (Spain) and its effect on ground level particulate matter

2013

Abstract This study analyzes the atmospheric particles concentration at ground level during a severe pollution event that took place in Valencia (Spain) from 7 to 12 February 2011. The episode was related to a subtropical anticyclone system that affected the Iberian Peninsula and western Europe. The dominant anticyclone imposed an extended low gradient pressure system and a low mixing layer height in the region that caused the accumulation of pollutants over the western Mediterranean. Moreover, the stagnant conditions led to the formation of the local sea breeze, accompanied by an increase of relative humidity and the decrease of ambient temperature. Our study is mainly focused on the analy…

Coastal precipitation regimes in Kenya.

1997

Kenya is under the influence of the seasonal reversal of the Indian ocean monsoons. However, its coastal belt, up to about 50 km inland, exhibits original climatic features. Hierarchical clustering...

Rainfall and Sea-Breeze Circulation over South-Western France

1997

South-western France (Aquitaine region) has an oceanic temperate climate but some climatic peculiarities (irregular patterns in isohyets) are observed along a narrow coastal belt. The spatial distribution of winter and summer precipitation shows a ‘rainy strip’ located around 20 to 40 km inland. Three features allow an explanation of this distribution: synoptic flow, sea-breeze and heterogeneous land roughness (presence of the Foret des Landes). To take into account the impact of these features, numerical simulations are examined using a three-dimensional mesoscale model. The occurrence of the forest increases the possibility of precipitation during irregular patterns in isohyets. © 1997 by…

Sea breeze thunderstorms in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Neighborhood verification of HIRLAM and HARMONIE precipitation forecasts

2014

In this study we investigated sea breeze thunderstorms with intense convective activity (i.e., heavy rainfall, hail and gusty winds) that occurred over the eastern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and were missed by the operational HIRLAM model. We used two grid-spacing setups (5.0. km and 2.5. km) of the hydrostatic HIRLAM model, and the non-hydrostatic spectral HARMONIE suite (2.5. km), to simulate isolated convection associated with sea breezes. The overall aim is to estimate the ability of these three experimental setups, in particular the HARMONIE model as the forthcoming operational numerical weather prediction in most European Weather Services, to correctly simulate convective precipitation…

Comparative assessment of RAMS and WRF short-term forecasts over Eastern Iberian Peninsula using various in-situ observations, remote sensing product…

2018

The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale models are being used for weather and air quality studies as well as forecasting tools in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems. In the current study, we perform a comparative assessment of these models under distinct typical atmospheric conditions, classified according to the dominant wind flow and cloudiness, over Eastern Iberian Peninsula. This study is focused on the model representation of key physical processes in terms of meteorology and surface variables during a 7-days period in summer 2011. The hourly outputs produced by these two models are compared not only with observed…

2010

Abstract. Southern Asia, extending from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, is one of the most heavily populated regions of the world. Biofuel and biomass burning play a disproportionately large role in the emissions of most key pollutant gases and aerosols there, in contrast to much of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, where fossil fuel burning and industrial processes tend to dominate. This results in polluted air masses which are enriched in carbon-containing aerosols, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons. The outflow and long-distance transport of these polluted air masses is characterized by three distinct seasonal circulation patterns: the winter monsoon, the s…

Insights into the summer diurnal cycle over Eastern South Africa.

2018

Abstract Adopting a state-of-the-art numerical model system, we investigate how the diurnal variations in precipitation and local breeze systems are characterized by lower-boundary conditions related to the Drakensberg highland and warm SST associated with the Agulhas Current. A control simulation can simulate the hydrometeorological climates in the region realistically, but the terrestrial rainfall is overestimated. During daytime, the precipitation is confined to the Drakensberg highland, and there is an onshore local breeze, while during midnight to morning, the rainfall is confined to the Agulhas Current, and the breeze is offshore. These variations are captured by the numerical simulat…

Chemical characterization in coastal fog and rain at Mount Monduver fog-collection station, Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula

2021

Abstract An experimental site was selected for fog- and rain-water quality analyses. The selected location corresponds to Mount Monduver of 843 m elevation, being geographically centered in the Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula. Single fog- and rain-water samples were taken manually with a dedicated fog and rain collectors, to prevent any contamination with dry-deposition. Besides, a permanently exposed fog collector and a rain gauge were also used for the collection of water samples affected by dry deposition. Results indicated that all chemical analyses complied with Spanish drinking water regulations, except for the particular case of the dry-deposition contaminated water samples. A furthe…

Spatial distribution of the precipitation in Dobruja (Romania/Black Sea)

2000

An original dataset for the Dobruja, a low plateau region of southeastern Romania, is used to perform a statistical study of the spatial distribution of rainfall at annual and seasonal time-scales. A principal component analysis (PCA) is carried out to identify the precipitation regimes. The high eigenvalue of PC1 attests of the prevailing temperate-continental regime, with a relatively dry winter opposed to a late spring and early summer rainfall maximum. PC2 shows the specific pattern of the coast, with a small secondary maximum in November. In spite of the relatively flat topography, annual rainfall is characterized by a strong gradient between the coast and the interior. Particularly lo…

Simulation of extreme heat events over the Valencia coastal region: Sensitivity to initial conditions and boundary layer parameterizations

2019

The Valencia coastal region (Western Mediterranean) is especially sensitive to extreme heat events, where they are really common. However, due to its geophysical characteristics and climatic conditions, the incidence of high and extreme temperatures may still be modulated over this area by means of sea breeze circulations, defining a Sea Breeze Convergence Zone (SBCZ) due to the meet and interaction of these mesoscale conditions and Western synoptic-scale wind regimes. A proper definition of this convergence zone is of significant importance over the study area for the simulation and forecast of intense-heat meteorological events. This study analyses a week period in August 2010 over this a…