Vertical Structure of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer in Coastal Zone

Dear Colleagues,

Accurate calculations of vertical profiles of atmospheric variables in coastal areas are crucial for climate, environmental, and energy research and applications. It is, however, a challenging task, on both sides of the coastline, onshore or offshore. The abrupt horizontal change of the mechanical and thermal surface characteristics causes the development of an internal boundary layer (IBL) for both offshore and onshore flows. The IBL introduces a vertical discontinuity in the atmospheric properties, and the IBL grows, as a function of stability conditions, until it merges with the atmospheric boundary layer at a certain distance from the coast. The daily cycle plays an important role in the onshore stability condition, though such an effect may be minor for offshore conditions. Some coastal areas are also favoured by special coastal phenomena such as sea breeze, land breeze, coastal jet, and low-level jet. Offshore in the coastal zones, the shoaling and breaking of waves introduces an air–sea exchange of momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat, as well as sea spray that affects the vertical distribution of a range of most relevant parameters such as wind, temperature, humidity, sea salt, and CO2 in the atmospheric boundary layer.

These topics have been the research focus for decades and further efforts are still needed. In this Special Issue, we invite theoretical, experimental, and modelling studies on atmospheric parameters in coastal areas, particularly on the dynamics related to their distribution with height in the atmospheric boundary layer. The context could be environmental, climate and weather, and renewable energies.

We welcome studies covering atmospheric phenomena of a wide range of spatial scales, from synoptical to microscale, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Observations, including in-situ measurements, ground-based and space-borne remote sensing techniques (e.g., scatterometers and synthetic aperture radar), or operational campaigns
• Studies on model uncertainty for different parameterization schemes
• Studies of the dynamics related to profiles of wind speed and direction, temperature, and sea spray in the transition zone/period in the onshore/offshore flow;
• Studies of low-level jet, coastal jets, sea breezes and land breezes, modelling and/or measurements.
• Studies on the effect of the coastal atmospheric phenomena on renewable energy production;
• Studies of air–sea interactions of momentum, heat and gases, through measurements and/or wind–wave coupled modelling.

Dr. Anna Maria Sempreviva
Dr. Xiaoli Larsén
Guest Editors

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• coastal areas
• vertical profiles
• internal boundary layers
• experimental studies
• modelling studies
• renewable energy production
• climate
• environmental studies
• remote sensing