A climatological study of the sea and land breezes in the Arabian Gulf region

This study focuses on observations of the sea and land breeze circulations in the southern Arabian Gulf. During the summer months, the Indian monsoon creates light northwesterly winds over the Arabian Gulf, allowing for the formation of thermally driven circulations. Observations from a network of stations are used to develop a wind climatology for the Arabian Gulf region. Characteristics of the sea and land breeze circulations, such as onset time, duration, and horizontal and vertical extent are described. The dense network of surface stations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) allows for a fine-scale observational study in this region. It is found that the sea breeze occurs during all seasons of the year in this region. It occurs in the late afternoon and continues through the evening. A land breeze sets in during the night. Surface offshore winds in the land breeze are strong probably due to drainage flow down the inland hills.