Sea breeze characteristics on two sides of a shallow gulf: study of the Gulf St Vincent in South Australia

Abstract

A study of the long-term behaviour (1957–2007) of sea breeze characteristics in the coastal city of Adelaide, Australia has been undertaken, applying a sea breeze day selection algorithm that employed four quantitative filters based on the temperature of the sea and land surfaces and the behaviour of surface- and upper-level winds. Despite the similarity of the daily surface wind circulation on non-sea breeze days on both sides of Gulf St Vincent, the westerly wind component of selected sea breeze days for Adelaide has been accompanied by an easterly wind direction on the opposite side of the Gulf, as would be expected. In the last three decades of the study period, where a higher frequency of data was available, the sea breeze has been shown to start at least 4 h after sunrise and normally cease before sunset and thus was of longer duration in summer than in the other seasons. It also appears that the maximum sea breeze intensity in summer months has a comparatively stronger southerly component than in other seasons.