Sea-Breeze and Topographic Influences on the Planetary Boundary Layer in the Coastal Upwelling Area of Cabo Frio (Brazil)

We use a fully coupled oceanic-atmospheric model to investigate the sources and sinks of turbulent kinetic energy in the Cabo Frio coastal area and to determine the role of topography and the sea breeze in planetary boundary-layer (PBL) development. The study area presents similar boundary-layer cha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Boundary-layer meteorology 2016-01, Vol.158 (1), p.139-150
Main Authors: Ribeiro, F. N. D., Soares, J., Oliveira, A. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air circulation
Analysis
Atmosphere
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Atmospheric Sciences
Boundary layers
Coastal zone
Coasts
Cooling
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Kinetic energy
Kinetics
Low temperature
Meteorology
Notes and Comments
Oceans
Planetary boundary layer
Temperature inversions
Topography
Turbulence
Upwelling
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We use a fully coupled oceanic-atmospheric model to investigate the sources and sinks of turbulent kinetic energy in the Cabo Frio coastal area and to determine the role of topography and the sea breeze in planetary boundary-layer (PBL) development. The study area presents similar boundary-layer characteristics than other coastal upwelling areas with complex topography, such as increased stability and low-level jets. The results show that the major effect of upwelling, over the investigated area, is to maintain low temperatures in the lower atmosphere over the coastal zone, sustaining a strong temperature inversion that precludes the vertical PBL development. Therefore, the cooling effect reduces the horizontal thermal contrast between land and water, generating a negative feedback between the intensity of the sea breeze and the intensity of the upwelling. The topography at Cabo Frio prevents this cooling effect from propagating inland, since it limits the penetration of the sea-breeze circulation.
ISSN:0006-8314
1573-1472
DOI:10.1007/s10546-015-0085-x