Interaction of a cold front with a sea-breeze front Observations

Abstract

On 9 May 1989, during the field experiment FRONTEX, a synoptic-scale cold front was observed which moved from the North Sea to Northern Germany and interacted with a seabreeze front. The modification of the cold front is documented by satellite images and measurements over the sea, at the coast and further inland. The synoptic-scale front was characterized by weak frontal gradients over the sea. It was aligned approximately parallel to the coast as was approximately the wind ahead of it. While the synoptic-scale front approached the coast during the forenoon hours, a strong temperature contrast developed between sea and land due to solar heating of the land surface. This led to the formation of a sea-breeze front associated with a stronger temperature gradient than the synoptic-scale front. At about noon, when the synopticscale front almost reached the coast, the sea-breeze front began to move inland. The onshore wind behind the sea-breeze front and ahead of the synoptic-scale front was so large that the wind field at the synoptic-scale front changed from confluence to difluence. This process was supported by a shallow inversion ahead of the synoptic-scale front which confined the vertical depth of the sea-breeze. The former sea-breeze front overtook the main frontal characteristics, continued its inland propagation and was the only frontal event observed over the land. As a result of the interaction, the synoptic-scale front was significantly intensified in the boundary layer.