Scatterometer estimates of the tropical sea-breeze circulation near Darwin, with comparison to regional models

Abstract

In tropical coastal environments, simulating the diurnal cycle of wind and precipitation in numerical weather and climate models presents unique challenges due to the interaction of intraseasonal and mesoscale dynamics. This can lead not only to incorrect short-term weather forecasts but also to unphysical energy and momentum transport by convective processes. In particular, the sea/land-breeze circulation and its role in initiating convection has been identified as a possible source of errors in the timing and offshore extent of coastal precipitation in the Tropics. In this study, the offshore land/sea breeze around Darwin, Australia, is examined using scatterometer wind observations and tw..