Lidar Observations of Sea-Breeze and Land-Breeze Aerosol Structure on the Black Sea

Abstract

This paper describes results of a lidar study of sea-breeze behavior near Akhtopol in the southeastern corner of Bulgaria. The lidar site was a few hundred meters from the western shore of the Black Sea. Analyses are presented of vertical cross sections at different azimuths through the nearshore atmosphere. Three different stages of the sea?land-breeze circulation are discussed: the offshore land-breeze flow, the near-calm period before the onset of a sea breeze, and an onshore sea-breeze flow. The differences in backscatter between the moist, droplet-laden air over the water and the drier air over land with its smaller particles have allowed the characteristic features of the circulations to be identified. Comparisons to simultaneous pilot balloon and surface meteorological observations have supported the interpretations.