Sea breeze and land breeze how are they different. During the day, the sun warms up the land or sand as well as water. But the sand absorbs the sun’s heat at a faster pace than water. Thus, sand gets hotter than the water or the sea. This leads to a land breeze and the sea breeze that occur near the water bodies. Breeze refers to moderate or mild wind. The convection phenomenon is involved in the land breeze and the sea breeze.
We can thus categorize the breeze into two types, land breeze, and sea breeze. When the breeze flows from the land towards the sea, it is a land breeze. When the breeze flows from the sea towards the land, it is the sea breeze. Both these breezes have some similarities. However, in this article, let us also study the Difference Between Sea Breeze and Land Breeze
You can check about convection from this article Difference Between Conduction Convection and Radiation
What is a Sea Breeze?
A sea breeze will be described as a coastal local wind that blows from the ocean to the land. It’s been developed because of differences in air pressure created by the changing heat capacities of water and dry land. A sea breeze is occurred during the spring and summer months due to the higher temperature difference between the ocean and nearby land, particularly within the afternoon when the land is at maximum heating from the sun.
The formation of the sea breeze
In the daytime, the sun changes the temperature warmer on both the ocean surface and land. Water is often known as a decent absorber of the energy from the sun. The land takes much of the sun’s energy likewise. However, water changes the temperature up way more slowly than land, and so, the air above the land will be warmer compared to the air over the ocean. The nice and cozy air over the land will rise throughout the day, increasing pressure at the surface.
High surface pressure from the water will form due to the colder air. To compensate, the air will yield to the ocean. The wind will blow from the upper pressure over the water to lower pressure over the land causing the Sea Breeze.
The magnitude of the sea breeze will vary counting on the change in temperature from the land and ocean.
Effects of sea breeze
Sea breeze brings relief from the oppressive weather condition. It can trigger thunderstorms especially when the air carries moisture and is unstable. It brings changes to local air quality. It allows moisture within the air
What Is Land Breeze?
A land breeze could be a local nighttime and early morning wind that happens along coasts and blows from the land bent on the ocean. It arises at the dead of the night when the sea surface is warmer than the adjacent land because the land having a lower heat capacity and cooling off faster. It then continues into the initial hours of the morning until the heating of the day begins.
The formation of land breeze
During the day, the sun heats the land surface, but only to a depth of some inches. At night, the temperature of the land drops quickly because the surface no longer receives heating from the sun, and warmth is rapidly radiated back to the surrounding air. Water is being retained more of its heat than land surfaces because of its higher heat capacity. The water along the shore becomes warmer than the coastal land and creating a net movement of air from the land surfaces toward the ocean.
Some facts:
- Land breeze and sea breeze both occur near coastal areas.
- They both have an impact on the humidity levels, atmospheric temperature, and precipitation rates.
- The land breeze is usually slower than the sea breeze and are generally weak.
- Due to the breeze, the places near the sea or coastal areas do not have a lot of variation in the temperature. Whereas the inland places have a major temperature change.
Difference between sea breeze and land breeze
| Sea breeze | Land breeze |
|---|---|
| when the denser air above the water moves to space above the land it is known as the sea breeze | when winds blow from high to low-pressure areas, the cool breeze that comes from the shore is what is referred to as a land breeze. |
| Formation | |
| The sea breeze is formed in the daytime. | Land breeze is formed at nighttime. |
| Season Of Occurrence | |
| Sea breezes are more often experienced during spring and summer because of the significant temperature differences between land and water. | Land breezes are most common in autumn and winter due to the cooler nights. |
| Magnitude | |
| Sea breezes’ pace span from 10 to 20 knots. | Land breezes’ pace span from 5 to 8 knots. |
| Origin | |
| Sea breeze comes from the water. | Land breeze comes from land. |
| Winds | |
| The sea breeze contains more amount of moisture due to the particles absorbed from the water bodies. | Land breezes usually blow dry winds. |
| Depth | |
| The sea breeze is deeper when compared to the land breeze. | Cooling of the air over land typically occurs within a shallower layer at night, the land breeze is shallower when compared to the sea breeze. |
| Strength | |
| Sea breezes are stronger than land breezes due to the bigger temperature difference. | Due to temperature differences, land breezes are weaker when compared to the sea breeze. |
| Air Temperature | |
| Sea breeze tends to decrease the air temperature. | The temperature might remain the same when the land breeze occurs. |
| Influence On Weather | |
| Sea breezes are not often observed during winter. | Land breezes influence the weather, particularly when a strong change of wind direction occurs at night. |
Conclusion
The concepts of land breeze and sea breeze allow us to understand the different types of winds associated with water bodies. The land breeze is formed on the mainland and blows towards the sea, while the sea breeze is formed over the water body, and is carried towards the shore.
The winds that blow from the sea are often seen to be cooler, and they help lower the temperature of the land during the winter and autumn seasons. The land breeze does not affect the temperature on the mainland or the sea and is commonly seen during the summer and spring seasons. These winds give us a deeper understanding and view of how the different types of winds can affect the land as well as the sea.
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