Project: Local urban growth and climate change impacts on Delaware Bay sea breeze (R/ETE-16)

Principal Investigator: Dana Veron, University of Delaware

There’s nothing like the smell of the salty sea breeze. But sea breezes are more than just something for your senses. They help control local weather throughout the year. For example, they often cause weather changes that lead to afternoon showers along the coastline. Delaware Sea Grant scientist Dana Veron is researching the sea breeze in an effort to understand its possible connection to human activities.

Increased development can change the surface of the land, including how it reflects or absorbs light and heat. Those changes can impact the sea breeze, particularly how far inland it travels, its strength, and its ability to cause rainfall. As the population in coastal regions continues to increase, changes to sea breeze could impact the local climate — a key factor influencing the region’s agriculture and tourism industries.

See below for full project abstract.