Abstract
Local circulation plays an important role in producing high-resolution meteorological and air quality information. In this study, detailed surface meteorological and vertical profile features about sea and land breezes in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) were investigated using the data from urban meteorological observation system in SMA (UMS-Seoul). These data were obtained from high-resolution surface meteorological stations and three wind lidar stations for 6 consecutive days (17–22 May 2016) with very weak synoptic winds and low cloud covers. The 6-day average diurnal variations of surface meteorological variables revealed temperature differences between land and sea, driving the pressure differences between the two. This induced sea–land-breeze circulation. The resulting sea breeze began at the shoreline at 1200 local standard time (LST), moved landward at a rate of about 10 km h−1, and reached 60 km from the shoreline at 1800 LST. The land breeze occurred within 50 km of the shoreline until noon. The sea-breeze front was identified by a steep horizontal temperature gradient, and its passage was accompanied by an abrupt temperature drop as well as vapor pressure and wind increases. The time–height cross section of wind indicated that the top of sea (land) breeze reached a maximum height of 1.5 km (0.8 km) with maximum winds 0.4 km (0.3–0.4 km) high in the late afternoon (early morning). The returning (easterly) flow at 1.5–1.6 km was clearly observed over the sea-breeze cells.
Highlights
Local circulations are driven by thermal differences between two different land covers (Simpson 1987)
Sea–land breezes or mountain–valley breezes sometimes interact with urban–rural breezes, complicating detailed local meteorological features (Bornstein and Tompson 1981; Freitas et al 2007; Dandou et al 2009; Ryu and Baik 2013; Ganbat et al 2015; Hu and Xue 2016)
Weather charts indicated that a zonal anticyclone in northern Japan blocked an eastward moving weather system
Summary
Local circulations (e.g., sea–land breezes, mountain– valley breezes, and urban–rural breezes) are driven by thermal differences between two different land covers (Simpson 1987). This study investigates temporal, horizontal, and vertical features of the sea and the land breezes in the SMA by analyzing 6-day average detailed surface meteorological variables and time–height cross sections of wind using UMS-Seoul observed data for the period of 17–22 May 2016. Weak westerly winds between 1300 and 1600 LST in the most inland area (Station 7) seemed not to be directly related to the sea breeze, owing to spatial inconsistencies.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
