Breezes can be categorised under two types – Land breezes and Sea breezes. Both these types are seen around large water bodies.
Key Takeaways
- A land breeze occurs at night when the land cools faster than the sea, causing cooler air to flow from the land toward the sea.
- A sea breeze occurs during the day when the land heats up faster than the sea, causing cooler air to flow from the sea toward the land.
- Both land and sea breezes play a role in local weather patterns, especially in coastal areas.
Land Breeze vs Sea Breeze
Land breeze, also known as an offshore breeze, is a dry and weak wind that blows toward a water body and over the mainland. It occurs during the autumn or winter seasons. Sea breeze is a wind that moves towards the shore or land during the day and blows from a water body during the summer and spring seasons.
The land breeze or offshore breeze is the wind that blows over the mainland and moves towards the water body. The land breeze begins at night or early in the morning and is mainly seen in autumn and winter.
The sea breeze is the wind from a large water body towards the land or shore. The sea breeze occurs seasonally, such as in the summer and spring seasons, and commonly during the daytime.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Land Breeze | Sea Breeze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The land breeze or offshore breeze is the wind that blows over the mainland and towards the water body. | The sea breeze is the wind that blows from a large water body towards the land or shore. |
| Occurrence (Seasons) | The Land breeze is formed mainly during autumn or winter due to cooler temperatures at night. | The sea breeze blows during the summer or spring seasons. |
| Time of day | The Land breeze is seen to blow during the night or even early in the morning. | The sea breeze is seen to blow over from the water bodies during the daytime. |
| Type of wind | The winds here are comparatively slower and weaker, mostly dry, and carry no moisture content. | The winds here are more robust and carry more moisture content due to having a water-based source. |
| Temperature of winds | Land breeze does not cause much change to the surrounding weather as compared to the sea breeze. | Sea breeze carries cold air from the water body and decreases the temperature of the air on land. |
What is Land Breeze?
Land breeze, also known as “offshore breeze”, is the wind that blows over from the mainland and moves towards the water body.
The land breeze is seen to begin forming during the night or early in the morning. Land breeze also follows a seasonal cycle and is seen in autumn or winter.
The reason for this is that the temperatures at night are lower than that during the day.
The air temperature on the land does not get affected much by the land breeze, i.e., the land breeze does not cause a decrease in the air temperature surrounding it.
There are a few characteristics of land breeze that help identify it, such as –
- The land breeze moves at a slower speed and is seen to blow within the 4 to 8 knots range.
- The land breeze is seen to mostly blow with dry winds because they do not carry much moisture content along with them.
The land breeze is quite different regarding the above-stated characteristics compared to the sea breeze.
What is Sea Breeze?
Another type of breeze categorised under winds associated with water bodies is the Sea breeze. The sea breeze is the wind from a large water body towards the land or shore.
The sea breeze is commonly seen to blow during the daytime due to the warmer temperatures. The sea breeze is also seasonal and occurs during the summer or spring seasons because the temperature differences in the atmosphere between land and water are significant.
The sea breeze can lower the surrounding temperature on land when it blows over from a large water body. This is because the winds carry the moisture content of the air above the water body as they move towards the mainland.
The higher moisture content in the winds is also a reason they aren’t as dry as the land breeze.
The sea breeze is also faster than the land breeze and blows with speeds ranging from 10 to 20 knots.
Main Differences Between Land Breeze and Sea Breeze
- The land breeze or offshore breeze is the wind that blows over the mainland and moves towards the water body, while the sea breeze is defined as the wind that blows from the large water body towards the land or shore.
- The Land breeze is seen to blow during the night or even early in the morning, while the sea breeze blows during the daytime due to higher temperatures.
- The Land breeze is formed mainly during the autumn or winter due to cooler temperatures at night, while the sea breeze blows during the summer or spring.
- Land breeze does not cause much change to the surrounding weather as compared to the sea breeze, while sea breeze lowers the temperature on land.
- For land breeze, the winds here are comparatively slower and weaker, mostly dry, and carry no moisture content, while the winds in sea breeze blow faster and carry a lot of moisture content.
- https://journals.ametsoc.org/jhm/article/2/2/193/4958
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00704-006-0286-9
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