Land Breezes and

Sea Breezes

High Pressure = cold, very dense air

Low Pressure = warm, less dense air

Air always moves from HIGH pressure to LOW Pressure!

Sea BreezeDuring the day, land gets heated by the Sun much quicker than water does. As the land becomes warmer, it heatsthe air in the atmosphere above it.

Sea BreezeThis causes the air to expand, becoming less dense, and rise creating a low pressure area.

Sea BreezeBecause water heats up much lessquickly, air above the ocean takes longer to increase in temperature resulting in a high pressure area.

Sea BreezeWith a high pressure above the waterand a lower pressure above the land, wind blows from the sea towards the land. This is known as a sea breeze.

Land BreezeIn the night, land cools down much quicker than waters of the ocean does. As the land becomes cooler, so does the air above it.

Land BreezeThis results in air becoming denser, forming a high pressure area, causing winds to blow outward towards the sea. This is known as a land breeze.

When do they happen?•Thus, in the day we often see seabreezes, while in the evening we see land breezes in coastal regions.