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The Influence of the City of Athens on the Evolution of the Sea-Breeze Front

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Abstract

In the present study, we examine the dynamics of a sea-breeze front and the urban heat island interacting with the heavily urbanized city of Athens. For this reason, simulations were performed with a modified version of the PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), whereby urban features are considered, and the model results were compared with surface routine meteorological data. An unrealistic run was also performed, where the city of Athens was replaced by dry cropland and pasture surface, as in the surrounding area. A delay in the sea-breeze front was found during daytime, together with frictional retardation concerning its penetration, as well as inland displacement of the heat island as the air moved over the city of Athens. During nighttime, the wind speed increased over the lower atmosphere in the city centre due to the enhanced urban heat island.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, Department of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Laboratory of Meteorology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Build. Physics 5, University Campus, 15784, Athens, Greece

    Aggeliki Dandou & Maria Tombrou

  2. Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, 811 00, Mytilene, Greece

    Nikolaos Soulakellis

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  1. Aggeliki Dandou
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  2. Maria Tombrou
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  3. Nikolaos Soulakellis
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Correspondence to Maria Tombrou.

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Dandou, A., Tombrou, M. & Soulakellis, N. The Influence of the City of Athens on the Evolution of the Sea-Breeze Front. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 131, 35–51 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9306-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9306-x

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