Impact of continuously varied SST on land-sea breezes and ozone concentration over south-western coast of Korea

Abstract

Abstract Several comparison studies including numerical experiments were carried out at the well urbanized Gwangyang Bay region, Korea, to clarify the relationship between the continuously varied SST distribution and meteorology and how that impacts the ozone concentration. The numerical models used in this study were Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) and Comprehensive Air quality Model with eXtensions (CAMx) for meteorological and photochemical ozone fields, respectively. Based on buoy observations, the sea surface temperature (SST) had a noticeable influence on the near surface wind field and distribution of photochemical ozone because the mean SST near Gwangyang Bay changed by 2.8 °C over the five day period. Sea breeze with temporally varied SST was better represented than that estimated without the SST variation. Temporally changed SST distribution and its impact are more crucial factors for estimating the ozone concentration under weak synoptic conditions. And the accuracy of the estimated ozone concentration associated with the time varied SST tends to depend on the distance from the coastline. The acquisition of ocean conditions, including temporal variation in the SST, is indispensible for assessing and predicting the air quality, especially in well urbanized area near the coast.