Understanding Sea and Land Breezes: Causes and Effects

During day time, land is heated due to higher specific heat capacity of the sand. Hence land heats up faster than water. However at night earth surface looses heat rapidly into the atmosphere and land looses heat faster in comparison to the water. Hence at night land becomes cooler.

Therefore, at day time, hot air from land flows over the relatively cooler sea. This breeze that blows from land to sea is known as a sea breeze. This is why most of the fishing occurs during day time.

While at night, this process reverses. Water gives its higher heat capacity, it cools down slowly. Thus at night the temperature of land is lower as compared to the water. As a result, hot air above the water flows over the cooler land. This breeze that blows from sea to land is known as a land breeze.