Thermal breezes form due to temperature differences between land and sea. During the day, sea breezes blow from the sea to land as the land warms up more than the sea. At night, land breezes form as the land cools faster than the sea. Thermal breezes depend on factors like a temperature difference of over 2ยฐC, light winds under 16 knots, and unstable air conditions. They typically veer to the right due to the Coriolis effect.
1. Thermal breeze
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Unit 3: Thermal breezes
(sea/land breezes)
- How do they form?
- What are the encouraging parameters?
- How do they behave?
2. Thermal breeze
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The cause of thermal breezes is the temperature difference between land and sea.
They mainly form in summer, in nice weather, when land becomes warmer at
daytime and cooler at night, while sea temperature is quite stable.
Wind goes from cold towards hot areas (cf module 1).
๏ The day thermal breeze comes from the sea. We call it ยซ sea breeze ยป. It begins
at midday (when land warms up) and blows to evening. It can reach 15-20kts and
extend to 20-30 nautical miles offshore.
๏ The night thermal breeze comes from land. We call it โland breezeโ. It begins in
the middle of the night (when land is cooler) and blows to early morning. It is usually
less important than the sea breeze.
LAND
SEA
Sea breeze
LAND
SEA
Night breeze
4. Thermal breeze
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The sea breeze
1. In the morning, the sun warms the earth,
which in turn radiates heat and warms the
overlying air.
2. The warm air over land expands, which
forces the high air towards the sea, and
creates a down-flowing air from the land to the
sea.
SEA LAND
1.Airexpansion
2. Down flow
3. Offshore, the air falls back on the sea.
4. On land, warm air rises up (creating
cumulus cloud on the coastline, cf module 1)
5. Sea breeze establishes
SEA LAND
Down flow
Sea breeze
3
4
5
Thermal breeze is a fragile loop. It depends a lot on local conditions.
Several ingredients are needed.
5. Thermal breeze
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The land breeze
1. On the contrary at night, land cools.
Cold air over land contracts.
2. This generates in high altitude a down flow
from the sea to the land.
3. Over the sea, the warmer air rises up.
4. On land, the colder and heavier air goes
down to the sea.
5. Land breeze establishes from the land
towards the sea.
Land breeze may be stronger along mountainy costs, as Corsica, where cold air goes down the
slopes which cool quickly at night.
SEA LAND
land breeze
SEA LAND
1
2
3 45
7. Thermal breeze
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1. A synoptic wind < 16- 18kts, otherwise the loop canโt work
2. A temperature difference between land and sea > 2ยฐ.
The more the difference is important, the stronger and the sooner will be
the breeze.
๏ Know the sea Tยฐ
๏ Read the forecasted temperatures at land for the day, especially just
before the breeze may begin (ie at the end of the morning for the sea
breeze)
๏ Observe the change of cloudiness over land the morning for the sea
breeze.
3. Instable air.
The vertical mixing helps a loop establishment, while a too stable air (for
instance a big high pressure) acts as a cover.
๏ Look at the general synopsis
๏ A good visibility often reflects instability
๏ Cumulo-form clouds reflect instability as strato-form clouds reflect
stability
4. A light synoptic wind from land to prime the loop of the sea breeze
The establishment parameters
Breezes
9. Thermal breeze
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Thermal breezes veer (turn right)
by the Coriolis effect in northern hemisphere
๏ Generally, sea breeze starts blowing from the sea to the land, perpendicular to the
land. Then it veers (turns right) to blow almost parallel to the land.
It reinforce with the heat in middle/end of the afternoon, then decrease in the
evening.
๏ Generally, land breeze starts blowing from land to sea, perpendicular to the land.
Then it veers (turns right) to blow almost parallel to the land.
It reinforce with the cold in middle/end of the night, then decrease in the early-
morning.
14H
19H
15H-
18H
13H
2H
6H
8H
Breezes in Baie de Quiberon
11. Thermal breeze
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1. The breeze changes strength and direction all the day long.
That is to say:
If the outward is upwind, the return will not be necessarily downwindโฆ
If we start with 10kts, we may return with more then 10ktsโฆ
If we anchor sheltered from the wind in the evening, it probably will not
be still the case in nightโฆ
2. Breeze is a local phenomenon, difficult to forecast.
Therefore we have to understand the way it works and to locally
observe in order to forecast.
3. At last, breeze is a very frequent phenomenon during our
summer sailing.
Becauseโฆ
Breezes
12. Thermal breeze
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Estimate the breeze probability for this afternoon.
OR
Remember a breeze case and note the day
conditions (general synopsis, sunshine, sea and
land temperature, synoptic wind, breeze behavior)