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A Sea-Breeze Case Study in the La Plata River Region Using Local Observations, Satellite Images, and Model Simulations

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Abstract

Two well-developed sea-breeze cases in the La Plata River region, selected from a 5-month summer period, are studied using local observations, satellite images, and hydrostatic boundary-layer model simulations. Both the northern and southern coast cases are characterized by offshore regional flow that help develop stronger sea breezes due to enhanced horizontal convergence by the opposing flow. The study shows that the sea-breeze propagation accompanies changes in the three-dimensional circulation within the boundary layer. The inland propagation speed of the cloud bands evident in satellite imagery is simulated relatively well by the model’s progression of maximum vertical motion in both cases. Local coastline features affect the inland penetration of the sea-breeze fronts. The inland propagation speed of the surface sea-breeze front estimated with the model simulations is greater than the speed of the cloud bands aloft.

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(Reproduced with permission from Fig. 2 of Berri and Bertossa 2018)

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by research grant PICT2012–1667 from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina. The authors acknowledge Servicio Meteorológico Nacional of Argentina for providing the meteorological observations, GOES-13 images and operational forecast outputs; and Comisión Administradora del Rio de La Plata for providing the buoys data. The authors are grateful to Marilia de Abreu Gregorio for assisting with data processing. The authors also acknowledge the fruitful comments and suggestions made by the anonymous reviewers that contributed to improving the quality of the paper. MD acknowledges Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas of Argentina for granting a postdoctoral fellowship.

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  1. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas – CONICET, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina

    Guillermo J. Berri & Mariana Dezzutti

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  1. Guillermo J. Berri
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  2. Mariana Dezzutti
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Correspondence to Guillermo J. Berri.

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Berri, G.J., Dezzutti, M. A Sea-Breeze Case Study in the La Plata River Region Using Local Observations, Satellite Images, and Model Simulations. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 177, 123–147 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-020-00548-3

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