Case study · UK
UK sea breeze
South coast
A coastal school feels the sea breeze at last period for a reason: land heats, a loop starts, the cool air comes in from the water.
Locator · OpenStreetMap / OpenFreeMap · 50.80°, -1.10°
On a sunny day the land surface warms faster than the sea. Air over land rises. Air over the sea replaces it. The return flow aloft closes the loop. By last period the onshore flow can be a forecast the Met Office will name as a sea breeze.
The thermal-circulation lab is this. Toggle land–sea. Then toggle urban heat and see a different loop. Coriolis barely matters at this scale; it matters on the three-cell lab.
Exam-style question
Draw and label a sea-breeze circulation for a calm, sunny afternoon on the south coast.
Teacher hint: Land warm, sea cool. Onshore at surface, rise over land, return aloft, sink over sea.
Process labs
Sources
- Met Office sea breezes