When cool, dense air from over the water flows inland, what is it called?
1 Answer
A sea breeze.
Explanation:
Land heats up faster than water. Subsequently, air over land heats up faster than air over water. The warmer air over the land expands and the expansion causes the air pressure to drop. The cooler air over the water will contract and that causes the pressure to rise due to the increase in density. Since fluids will flow from areas of high pressure to low pressure, this sets up a motion of air from the water over the land.
When we discuss winds we usually talk about Coriolis effect as well (the effect that the planet's rotation has on fluids in motion). Due to the low friction of the water and the relatively small distances we are talking about when we explain sea breezes, we usually do not bother including the very small effect that Coriolis has.
