Spatial and temporal aspects of the surface wind regime on the canterbury plains, New Zealand

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Abstract
Seasonal and diurnal patterns produced by the interaction of synoptic scale winds and two thermo‐topographic systems, the land/sea breeze and mountain/plain winds, are investigated in a spatial context. Together with gradient winds and the shallow ‘lee trough’ north‐easterlies these local winds create a wind regime composed of several distinctive regional element, the boundaries of which are transitional in nature and dependent on time day and year and the strength of synoptic influences. The sea breeze maximum frequency by day in summer in coastal areas whereas katabatic flows are most frequent by night, in winter adjacent to the Alps. Banks Peninsula strongly influences the wind regime by funnelling north‐easterly airflow onto the plains and possibly creating a zone of sea breeze convergence extending inland. South of Banks Peninsula the interaction of onshore wind components with north‐easterly synoptic winds appears responsible for the diurnal rhythm in the synoptic wind, a phenomenon already observed north of Banks Peninsula in relation to south‐westerly gradient winds.Practical and theoretical implications of the regional study are discussed.

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