Abstract
Surface and upper air observations and MM5v3 simulations examined the structure and inland penetration of sea breeze (SB) along the Grande de Tárcoles river basin (GTRB), central Pacific, Costa Rica, for two different intensity regimes of the Caribbean Low-Level Jet (CLLJ). Data comprise the period of 1 July to 16 September 2004 from Ticosonde-North American Monsoon Experiment, and a local University of Costa Rica-National Meteorological Institute field campaign. Maximum precipitation occurs between 14:00–17:00 LST, showing a time lag of 2 to 3 h after the temperature maximum, suggesting that local diurnal heating is key to convection. July–August precipitation exhibited a rainfall decrease along GTRB due to the SB dynamical processes interaction with a strong CLLJ. The SB maximum inland incursion was 24 km, with no evidence of its penetration into the Central Valley. The MM5v3 simulations for two convective and boundary layer (BL) schemes captured some SB structure features along the GTRB. Comparison of model results with observed data shows deficiencies in the model representation of the surface flow near coastal regions. Differences may be the result of time lag model’s poor responses to actual early morning BL sea–land temperature gradients. MM5v3 configurations used in this study resulted in biased wind speed simulations.
Highlights
The study of the sea breeze (SB) is one of the most challenging meso-scale meteorological phenomena occurring along coastal regions around the world
Maximum precipitation is observed between 14:00 and 17:00 LST (Local Solar Time); these values increase with altitude up to the Central Valley
This paper represents an important contribution to the studies of SB in Costa Rica and Central America (CA)
Summary
The study of the sea breeze (SB) is one of the most challenging meso-scale meteorological phenomena occurring along coastal regions around the world. The SB is primarily due to pressure gradients caused by diurnal differential heating between land and sea [1,2]. These circulations play an important role in the climate and atmospheric environment of maritime areas and adjacent inland areas, having a direct effect on weather patterns of temperature, precipitation, and wind speed and direction. The special observational requirements partially explain why studies of the SB have mainly focused on describing diurnal variations using available meteorological in situ data, specially near coastal areas. A better understanding of the dynamics and characteristics of these local winds could contribute to tourism and urban planning activities, improve the analysis of air quality (because they constitute a mechanism of pollution transport), and provide information for navigation safety and forest fire prevention [2].
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