Sea breeze front identification on the northeastern coast of Brazil and its implications for meteorological conditions in the Sergipe region

• Main Author: Anjos, Max
• Publication Date: 2019
• Other Authors: Lopes, António
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/39221
• topic: Sea breeze; Northeastern coast of Brazil; Meteorological conditions; Sergipe

The common idea that the sea breeze is a phenomenon that is always beneficial to the thermal from point of view is questioned in this study, since the sea breeze front (SBF) development is related with warmer days in the Sergipe region, located in the northeastern coast of Brazil. For this reason, the first climatology of the SBF and its potential implications on meteorological conditions were presented by using remote sensing (GOES-13 satellite image) and surface meteorological data. Results showed daily performance of the SBF: onset at 12:00 UTC and cessation at 19:00 UTC corresponding to a duration of 7 h, mean strength of 3.6 ms−1, and maximum inland penetration of 94 km from coast. In addition, we also observed SBF passage is related with an average increase in solar radiation (84 W m−2), temperature (1 °C), and a decrease in relative humidity (10%) and dew point temperature (1 °C). We hypothesize that, in certain circumstances, the SBF development is not beneficial for human thermal comfort in the Sergipe region.