The impact of land-sea breezes on the formation of Brown haze in an urban isthmus environment

Abstract

In some international cities, winter air pollution can manifest into a local-scale brown air pollution haze which has been associated with negative health outcomes. Land-sea breezes are known to impact urban air quality through the recirculation of air pollution and the formation of internal boundary layers (IBLs). However, research into land-sea breezes has primarily focused on summer air pollution and little is known about the influence of land-sea breezes on local-scale winter brown haze. Using continuous data (including surface meteorology, surface air quality, satellite-derived sea surface temperatures, and ceilometer-derived boundary-layer depths) observed over seven winters from 2013 to 2019, we present a novel investigation of the influence of land-sea breezes on brown haze in Auckland, New Zealand. Severe brown haze days are significantly more likely to coincide with a land-sea breeze circulation simultaneously occurring at both the east and west coasts when compared with days on which brown haze is expected but not observed (based on favourable meteorology and high surface air pollution levels). Both severe brown haze and high surface level PM2.5 concentrations (previously associated with the presence of brown haze) are found to be associated with a high degree of horizontal recirculation at Auckland's east coast. No relationship is found between the occurrence of sea-breeze-induced IBLs and the formation of brown haze. The results presented in this study offer insights into the physical mechanisms that influence the formation and persistence of local-scale winter brown haze in a complex coastal setting with correspondingly complex land-sea breezes.