FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot (UAG)WeatherMedium
During the afternoon on a warm, sunny day near a coastline, a pilot notices the surface wind consistently blowing from the ocean toward the land. What phenomenon explains this observed wind pattern?
- AKatabatic wind
- BLand breeze
- CFoehn wind
- DSea breeze
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Sea breeze
During the day, land heats faster than water, causing warm air over land to rise and creating a local low pressure area that draws cooler air from over the ocean onshore. This is called a sea breeze. Land breezes occur at night when the pattern reverses as land cools faster than water.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Katabatic winds are caused by cold, dense air draining downhill, unrelated to coastal land/sea heating differences.
- B. A land breeze flows from land toward the water and occurs at night, not during a warm afternoon.
- C. Foehn winds are warm, dry downslope winds on the lee side of mountains, not a coastal sea/land temperature effect.
Sea Breeze
A local wind that blows from the sea toward the land during the day, caused by land heating faster than water and creating a pressure difference that draws cooler ocean air onshore.
- Occurs during daytime, typically strongest in the afternoon
- Reverses at night as a land breeze once land cools faster than water
- Can create localized turbulence or wind shifts along coastlines
Memory trick: 'Sea breeze = Sun heats Sand fast, cooler Sea air Surges in by day.'