Land breeze

Definition of Land Breeze

A land breeze pertains to a coastal breeze propelling from land towards sea, characteristically observed during the night. It symbolizes a localized wind system involved in a daily cycle within coastal areas and stands as the counterpart of a sea breeze.

Formation of Land Breezes

Land breezes arise from the differential heating and cooling rates of land and water.
During the night: Land demonstrates a quicker cooling rate compared to the sea, resulting in cooler air hovering over the land and warmer air lingering over the sea.

Air Pressure: The cooler and denser air over the land prompts the emergence of a high-pressure area. Conversely, the warmer and less dense air over the sea fosters a low-pressure area.

Movement of Air: Air displays a tendency to shift from high-pressure zones towards low-pressure zones. Hence, the cooler air situated over the land advances towards the sea, culminating in a land breeze.

Effects of Land Breezes

Land breezes may incite several consequences on local weather and climate:
Weather patterns: Land breezes possess the capacity to thrust offshore storms farther out to sea, thereby mitigating the potential for coastal storms.

Humidity: Land breezes generally display lower humidity compared to sea breezes, given their trajectory over arid land rather than the ocean.

Temperature: Land breezes have the propensity to usher cooler temperatures from the land to adjacent coastal areas.

Land Breeze vs Sea Breeze

Land breezes and sea breezes compose elements of the same circulation system. A sea breeze emerges during the day when the land warms up at a faster pace than the sea, inducing the air above the land to ascend and form a low-pressure area that attracts cooler air from the sea. Upon nightfall, this process undergoes a reversal, giving rise to a land breeze. This diurnal (day-night) cycle embodies a notable characteristic of coastal climates.