Study of wind field under sea breeze conditions; an application of WRF model

Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model is applied to study the wind field over the east coast of central Greece under typical summer conditions. This study aims at identifying the major features of the sea breeze circulation that is very frequently developing in the area during the warm period of the year and at verifying the model's ability to simulate the complex flow that is strongly influenced by the complicated coastline and very steep terrain. The simulation is carried out for a five-day period, characterized by sea breeze development. It is found that a complex meteorological phenomenon is evolving in the area, as two circulation systems are successively developing, the first over Pagasitikos Gulf, which is overridden by the system that develops later over the Aegean Sea. The major characteristics of the wind patterns and especially the sea breeze systems are identified and discussed. Additionally, the impact of topography and slope on sea breeze circulation is also commented. Model predictions agree fairly well with the observations taken at a near-surface meteorological station. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.