A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. Why does it occur?
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Answer:
Explanation:
A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes are more localized than prevailing winds. The term offshore wind may refer to any wind over open water. The sea has a greater heat capacity than land, so the surface of the sea warms up more slowly than the land's. As the temperature of the surface of the land rises, the land heats the air above it by convection. The warming air expands and becomes less dense, decreasing the pressure over the land near the coast. The air above the sea has a relatively higher pressure, causing air near the coast to flow towards the lower pressure over land. The strength of the sea breeze is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the land and the sea. If a strong offshore wind is present (that is, a wind greater than 8 knots (15 km/h)) and opposing the direction of a possible sea breeze, the sea breeze is not likely to develop.