A Series of Sea Breeze Observations in the New York City Area

Abstract

A series of pilot balloon observations has provided data for the analysis of vertical cross-sections of the wind field in the lowest 3500 ft of the atmosphere during three an breeze situations in the New York City area. The days were chosen with different superposed flow conditions and the following were noted: 1) The frontal characteristics of the sea breeze were found to he related to an opposing gradient flow. 2) Opposing gradient flow also caused the sea breeze to be shallower, to have lower velocities, to form later in the day and to retreat seaward earlier in the evening. 3) During two days an increase was found in the landward component of the sea breeze in the very lowest layer, near the coast line about sunset. This phenomenon had also been observed in a set of earlier observations at Block Island, Rhode Island.