General Aspects of Land and Sea Breezes in Western Seto Inland Sea and Surrounding Areas

Abstract

The general aspects of land and sea breezes in western Seto Inland Sea and the surrounding areas are revealed from an analysis of the wind data obtained from the AMeDAS. The study area consists of Kyushu, the western part of Chugoku, and the western end of Shikoku surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, and the study area contains inland seas both wide and narrow.The day of the land and sea breeze in the study area is specified from the day when the land and sea breeze appears on a coastal area in the middle of the study area. The appearance of unexpected wind directions in the sea breeze situation in that area and the presence or not of the sea breeze in a nearby coastal area of smaller water body are taken into account in the classification of types of the land and sea breeze; this classification results in eight types.The type of sea breeze in both coastal areas is characterized by the developed sea breezes all over the area, except for the northeastern half of the coast facing the Sea of Japan in Chugoku and the eastern end of the Seto Inland Sea. Meeting of the sea breezes in the central region from either side of Chugoku and Kyushu is clearly seen in the afternoon.The other types are discussed and characteristics are compared with this fundamental type. The location of a significant land breeze in northwestern Shikoku is noted in relation to the well-known local gale "Hijikawa-arashi."The results from the previous study of the relationship between the occurrence of the land and sea breezes and the general meteorological conditions in Osaka Bay and the surrounding areas are shown to hold also for the present area. By coupling the features of the sea breeze in the present study area and those in Osaka Bay and the surrounding areas, the typical features of the sea breeze for a wider area of western Japan are revealed. The interrelation of the behavior of the land and sea breezes in these two areas is also discussed.

Sea breeze: Structure, forecasting, and impacts

“…The PW is important in determining whether or not a sea breeze will be detectable on land (a very strong offshore PW will prevent the SBC from reaching the coast), as well as exerting an influence on its behavior [e.g., Finkele et al ., 1995]. Mizuma 's [1995, 1998] observational studies of SBC behavior on the coast of Japan include descriptions of several manually identified sea breeze modes, which are dependent on the shape of the local coastline and the direction and strength of the PW. Several other studies have examined SBC response to the PW both generically and along specific coastlines [e.g., Fisher , 1960; Estoque , 1962; Pearson et al ., 1983; McKendry and Roulet , 1994; Planchon and Cautenet , 1997; Melas et al ., 1998; Asimakopoulos et al ., 1999; Clappier et al ., 2000; Melas et al ., 2000; Laird and Kristovich , 2001; Oliphant et al ., 2001; Lericos et al ., 2002].…”

Diurnal Variations of Snow Precipitation in Wakasa Bay during Winter

“…However, wind data collected at these stations clearly showed a wind direction shift between day and night, indicating the land-sea breeze phenomenon in the Wakasa Bay area. As indicated by Mizuma (1995;1998) for Osaka Bay and western Seto inland sea, although the land-sea temperature contrast appears small for generating a strong circulation, the combined effects of mountain winds caused by the geographic feature of Wakasa Bay surrounded by mountainous areas could have induced land-sea circulation. During nighttime (until early morning), winds blow from the land (mountain side) to the sea.…”

Influences of Tidal Fronts on Coastal Winds Over an Inland Sea

“…Diurnal variations in ground temperature, static stability, Coriolis force, prevailing wind, and topography including the size and shape of land and coastline also affect the development of sea/land breeze (Simpson 1994). Mizuma (1995Mizuma ( , 1998 has described the sea/land-breeze system in the Seto Inland Sea, but did not pay attention to either the spatial structure of the sea/land breeze offshore or the influence of the SST front on the sea/land-breeze system in the Seto Inland Sea.…”