Land/Sea Breeze Influence On Atmospheric Stability And Turbulent Fluxes Over A Subtropical Semiarid Coastal Lagoon In The Gulf Of California
Presenter: Lidia Irene Benítez Valenzuela1
Co-Author(s): Figueroa-Espinoza, Bernardo; Helbig, Manuel; Rey-Sanchez, Camilo; Rojas-Robles, Nidia E.; Silva-Ontiveros, Crhistian A.; Uuh-Sonda, Jorge M.; Yépez-González, Enrico A.
Advisor(s): Dr. Zulia Mayari Sánchez Mejía
1Water and Environmental Sciences, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora
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The difference in surface temperature between the land and the sea creates a gradient that results in a breeze. Through this mechanism advection transports heat, that can enhance the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and the growth of the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and moisture that can deplete the height of the lifting condensation level (LCL). The North American Monsoon System drives the climate in the Sonoran coast of the Gulf of California, providing a unique opportunity to study the effect of land and sea breezes on local heat and moisture transport processes and land-surface atmosphere interactions overall. The objectives of this study are to characterize sea and land breeze over a coastal lagoon during the Pre- Monsoon, Monsoon, and Post-Monsoon season and analyze variation of atmospheric stability, turbulent fluxes, and LCL height under different seasonal and breeze conditions. The study site is a subtropical semiarid coastal lagoon, Estero El Soldado (MexFlux-EES), located in the Northwestern México (27°57.248’N, 110°58.350’W). Measurements were performed from January to December 2019 with an Eddy Covariance system (EC) and micrometeorological instruments over the water surface. Results show that sea and land breeze present a diurnal cycle, where sea breeze is more frequent during the day and land breeze at night. Sea breeze is more frequent and intense during the Pre-Monsoon and Monsoon seasons, while land breeze is more frequent during Post-Monsoon season. Atmospheric stability exhibited a diurnal cycle independently of seasons and breezes. During the Monsoon, sea breeze provides cooler humid air toward the land; in addition, with available energy for LE + H, and TKE, it leads to lower LCL (~ 800m) due to the amount of water vapor (q=23 g kg-1).