Download Air, Water, and Solar Energy

Land Breezes and Sea Breezes
Sea Breeze
Sea Breeze:
During the day, the land warms up
faster than the water.
The warm air over the land rises,
while the cooler air over the water
sinks down and moves in to replace
the warm air.
As the warm air rises, it expands and
cools.
As it cools, it becomes more dense, so
that it sinks back down.
A convection current is created:
Land Breeze
Land Breeze:
At night, dry land cools faster than
water, due to the water’s large specific
heat capacity.
Since the land cools faster than the
water, the air above the water is now
warmer and less dense than the air
above the dry land.
Therefore the path of the convection
current is the opposite of the daytime
current. Warmer air above the water
is rising,
drawing in the cooler air from the
land.