Investigation of a Combined Effect of the Mediterranean Sea Breeze and Complex Topography on the Diurnal Wind Patterns

A study of seasonal variations in diurnal patterns of wind speed and direction under the combined effect of a sea breeze and highly heterogeneous, rapidly changing topography - mountains, valleys, plateaus, steppes - was conducted using wind data from 24 Israel Meteorological Service AWSs located between the Mediterranean Coast and the Dead Sea Valley. The measured 10-minute data were averaged into hourly data and then averaged monthly. There are months in which some stations show diurnal wind patterns with the night winds stronger than the day winds, i.e., opposite to the "usual" wind patterns. At most stations, the wind pattern is very clear during the summer months, due to a strong sea breeze and the absence of dynamic weather systems (mainly Mediterranean cyclones). The influence of the latter during the cool months blurs the overall picture of wind patterns at many stations. A number of stations began operation in 1995, thus covering a period of about 30 years, which allowed us to also check whether long-term changes in the studied effect are observed. At first glance, if we focus on stations least affected by urbanization and vegetation, no noticeable climatic changes in the studied effect were observed over 30 years. The proposed work can find application in planning the location of wind turbines.