Sea Breezes and Land Breezes

Sea breezes are winds that are caused by the differential heating rates of land and sea. During the day
the land heats up more rapidly than the sea because:

land has a lower specific heat than water – it requires less heat to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of
earth by 1 degree than it does for water;

the incoming heat warms a shallower layer of the land because earth is a poor conductor of heat. In
water the heat is sprread through a significant depth by conduction, convection and foced mixing.

Warm air over the land rises creating a lower pressure at the surface and a higher pressure at the
altitude that the air is lifted to. Cool air from over the sea which is now at a higher pressure tends to
move in to the low pressure area over land. A circulation is established as the air over the sea subsides
and warm air from over land moves in to take its place.

Sea breezes tend to be stronger in the tropics where greater temperature differences are established
between land and water and there is also a greater tendancy for instability over the heated land.

Lake breezes are also formed around large areas of inland water.

Low level wind shears are often enhanced by sea breeze circulation.

Land breezes because the of reverse situation. Overnight the land cools to be colder than the sea so cold
overland air moves to replace warmer the warmer air over the sea.

As clue to the names of sea breeze and land breeze just remember that when we name winds by where
they come from! A sea breeze comes from the sea, a land breeze comes from the land, a northerly wind
comes from the north.

Difference between Land and Sea Breeze

Time

Land breeze: is formed at nighttime

Sea breeze: is formed at daytime.

Source
As their names suggest, land breeze comes from land while sea breeze comes from water.

Depth

Since the cooling of the air over land typically occurs within a shallower layer at night, the land breeze is
likewise shallower as compared to the sea breeze.

Season

Sea breezes are more often experienced during spring and summer because of the significant
temperature differences between land and water. On the other hand, land breezes are most common in
autumn and winter due to the cooler nights.

Strength

Generally, sea breezes are stronger than land breezes due to the bigger temperature differences.

Speed

Sea breezes’ speed usually ranges from 10 to 20 knots while that of land breezes’ only range from 5 to 8
knots.

Moisture

Sea breezes have more moisture due to the absorbed particles from the bodies of water. On the other
hand, land breezes are often dry winds.

Occurrence during Winter Months

Unlike land breezes, sea breezes are not often observed during winter season. During such cold months,
land breezes are predominant in influencing weather; particularly when a strong change of wind
direction occurs at night.

Benefit to glider pilots

Glider pilots particularly take significant advantage of the sea breeze to steer in higher altitudes. Unlike
land breezes, sea breezes are strong enough to influence such aircraft operations.

Decrease in Air Temperature

A decrease in air temperature is most likely due to sea breezes whereas land breezes do not essentially
cause temperature changes.