Sea breeze systems in the temperate Southern Hemisphere: detection methods, regional evidence, and knowledge gaps.

Abstract

Sea breezes are mesoscale atmospheric circulations driven by the daytime thermal contrast between land and ocean surfaces. Their intensity, spatial structure, and inland penetration are controlled not only by this local thermal forcing, but also by interactions with the background synoptic wind field, which give rise to three primary circulation regimes: pure, corkscrew, and backdoor sea breezes. Although the fundamental dynamical mechanisms governing sea breeze formation are universal, the influence of the Coriolis force reverses the geometric relationships defining these regimes between hemispheres, making the analysis of Southern Hemisphere sea breezes a distinct scientific challenge. Despite this fundamental difference, the scientific literature remains strongly biased toward Northern Hemisphere case studies, leaving substantial knowledge gaps regarding the dynamics, frequency, typological distribution, and environmental impacts of sea breezes in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. These gaps have important implications for several applications, including offshore wind resource assessment, coastal air quality forecasting, urban thermal comfort management, and the characterization of coastal ocean dynamics in regions such as South America and Oceania. This review synthesizes the current state of knowledge on sea breeze systems in the temperate Southern Hemisphere, addressing their physical mechanisms, sea breeze front dynamics, typological classification, detection methodologies, numerical modeling approaches, regional climatology, and documented environmental impacts. Particular attention is given to observational and modeling studies conducted in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. Finally, key research gaps are identified and priorities for future investigations are proposed, including the development of classification frameworks adapted to Southern Hemisphere dynamics, the integration of statistically corrected reanalysis products with in situ observations, and the establishment of long-term regional sea breeze climatologies in data-limited coastal environments.