Meteorology · Local Winds — Land and Sea Breeze
A sea breeze (onshore wind) during a fair-weather day is driven by:
- AThe Coriolis force alone
- BNighttime cooling of the land
- CDaytime heating of the land creating lower pressure ashore, drawing cooler air in from the sea✓ Correct
- DTidal currents along the coast
Explanation
By day the land heats faster than the sea, air rises over the warm land, pressure falls there, and cooler marine air flows inland as the sea breeze. At night the pattern reverses (land breeze) as the land cools below the sea temperature.
Authority: Bowditch (Pub. No. 9), land and sea breezes; WMO
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