Sea Breeze Front and Outdoor Thermal Comfort during Summer in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Characterizing the behaviour of the sea breeze phenomenon is the foremost factor in the reduction in the heat stress and the achievement of the pleasant environment in coastal cities globally. However, this seminal study shows that the Sea Breeze Front (SBF) development can be related to an increase in outdoor thermal discomfort in a northeastern Brazilian city during summer. We explored the relationship between SBF and thermal comfort conditions using in situ meteorological observations, the SBF identification method, local climate zones (LCZs) classification, and the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) thermal comfort index. SBF days and Non-SBF days were characterized in terms of weather conditions, combining meteorological data and technical bulletins. SBF days included hot and sunny days associated with the centre of the Upper Tropospheric Cyclonic Vortices (UTCV). In contrast, Non-SBF days were observed in UTCV’s periphery because of cloudy sky and rainfall. The results showed that the mean temperature and PET in the SBF days were 2.0 °C and 3.8 °C higher, respectively, compared to Non-SBF days in all LCZ sites. The highest PET, of 40.0 °C, was found on SBF days. Our findings suggest that SBF development could be an aggravating factor for increasing heat stress of the people living in the northeastern coast of the Brazilian city, after SBF passage.

Evaluation of planetary boundary layer parameterizations with the WRF model in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador.

“…The following figure 3 shows the average height of the PBL for the region during the month of October 2015. 2 show good agreement, however the PBL assessment for the period does not suggest a TBL characterization proposed by [14][15][16] and [18], this assessment is important in atmospheric models because this height is used to assess the physical behavior in the study region. The PBL height is detected as the height of the neutral fluctuation level where the bulk Richardson number for entrainment exceeds a critical value [8].…”

“…Along coastal regions, the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) has a different internal behavior, due to the thermal differential between sea and land, daily variations that can significantly alter local circulation. Thus, the dynamics of the Inner Thermal Boundary Layer (TBL), which is formed by the sea breeze, has been studied by several researchers, including [2-9] [11] [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. However, short-term events such as TBL are difficult to detect and their PBL investigation is very important in atmospheric studies, their influence on the local PBL can affect the dispersion of pollutants, mathematical models are evaluated to make predictions about these circulations, mainly studies on the influence of pollutants according to [19,20].…”

Impacts of Coastal Breezes on the Environment and Human Life: The Case of Mallorca (Western Mediterranean)

“…Although the dynamics and structure of the sea breeze are known [3], its waft is associated with a complex set of phenomena. Its effects on the climate and local meteorology of many regions of the Earth have been ratified by the scientific literature, in which we find works on the impact of the sea breeze on summer air temperature [4][5][6][7], air quality in urban coastal environments [8], or on convective activity [9,10]. In this article we describe a summarized set of effects and benefits of breezes, with the aim of completing and expanding the field of their study.…”

Developing climate-led landscapes and greenery in urban design: a case study at Ipoh, Malaysia

“…The impacts of trees on wind performance, in this case, are rather two-sided as the However, some studies found that the influence of wind is not always positive in tropical regions or during summer. For example, Anjos et al (2020) found that sea breeze in Aracaju of Brazil could negatively impact outdoor thermal comfort if exposed to higher solar radiation and temperature. In the viewpoint of human comfort, Yin et al (2012) emphasized that the positive thermal perception by the wind in the shade was stronger than that under the sun during summer in Nanjing of China, indicating a joint consideration with solar radiation and temperature in determining the cooling perception of wind.…”