Assessing the effect of coastal upwelling on the air temperature at the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea

Abstract

Coastal upwelling along the SE Baltic Sea coast is a common feature, especially during the warm season. It significantly lowers sea surface temperature (SST) in the coastal areas, and, therefore, may be responsible for modifying meteorological conditions in those coastal areas, where upwelling is most frequently observed. This study aims to assess the effect of coastal upwelling on the air temperature at the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea based on long-term period observations (2002–2021) from coastal hydrometeorological stations and satellite data. Overall, our study revealed that due to its high frequency and spatial extent, upwelling is responsible for lowering the mean summer season SST of the SE Baltic Sea coast by about 1 °C. And even though upwelling is a short-term event, upwelling-induced SST drop results in cooling air temperatures in the coastal areas, i.e., the mean air temperatures during upwelling are typically 2−4 °C lower than before. It was also observed that upwelling is favouring the development of advective fog. Thus, sudden changes in meteorological parameters during upwelling can have versatile effects on various socio-economic activities. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of upwelling feedback onto the lower atmosphere and, therefore, are important for advancing the accuracy of weather forecasts that are needed for coastal communities, including marine and coastal industries.