Which statement correctly describes the daytime sea breeze?

Which statement correctly describes the daytime sea breeze?

• A. It causes air to flow from land to sea during the day
• B. It causes air to flow from sea to land during the day
• C. It causes air to descend from mountains Into the Valley
• D. It Does Not Occur in Coastal Areas

Answer: (B)

During daytime, land heats up faster than the sea. The intense heating causes the air over the land to rise, creating relatively low pressure near the coast. The sea stays cooler, so the air over the water remains denser and at a higher surface pressure. Cooler air from the sea moves toward the land to replace the rising air, producing an onshore flow from sea to land. This is why the daytime sea breeze is described as air moving from sea to land during the day. At night, the land cools quickly and a different pattern can developed, sometimes a land breeze from land to sea. The idea that it doesn’t occur in coastal areas is false because this breeze is a characteristic feature of coastal climates. The notion of air descending from mountains into valleys refers to a katabatic wind, which is a different phenomenon from the daytime sea breeze.

During daytime, land heats up faster than the sea. The intense heating causes the air over the land to rise, creating relatively low pressure near the coast. The sea stays cooler, so the air over the water remains denser and at a higher surface pressure. Cooler air from the sea moves toward the land to replace the rising air, producing an onshore flow from sea to land. This is why the daytime sea breeze is described as air moving from sea to land during the day. At night, the land cools quickly and a different pattern can developed, sometimes a land breeze from land to sea. The idea that it doesn’t occur in coastal areas is false because this breeze is a characteristic feature of coastal climates. The notion of air descending from mountains into valleys refers to a katabatic wind, which is a different phenomenon from the daytime sea breeze.