Estimation of the Effective Region of Sea/Land Breeze in West Coast Using Numerical Modeling

The regional air movement in a coastal area is generated by the different heat capacities of sea and land sides, which is called sea/land breeze. In the west coast area, the local air quality is significantly influenced by this sea/land breeze. In this study, the mathematical model is proposed to estimate the effective area of sea/land breeze. A commercial air model, that is suggested as an alternative air model by USEPA, is introduced to simulate the mechanism of sea/land breeze generation. From this study, it is confirmed that the numerical approach proposed in this study is reliable to predict the effective area of sea breeze in a coastal area. It implies that the current application of common air model needs to be carefully reviewed especially when dealing with a coastal air quality issue. It is also found that the sea breeze in Incheon area has the impact in the range of approximately 24 km in-land side, so-called penetration length.