What are cool breezes during the day caused by differences in heating and cooling rates of land or water?

Answer 1

Think about it this way - warm air rises. When air is over a warm surface, it will heat up and rise.

Also remember this - water holds on to heat or cold longer than solids (like rock) do. Therefore, the land will heat and cool faster than the water will.

So, picture this: In the morning time, everything starts to heat up because of the sun's rays. The land heats up faster. So the air over the land rises. As the air rises and rises, it begins to get cooler, until it sinks. This whole process creates a cycle of wind above the land and sea. The air drops on to the cold ocean, moves on to the land to replace the air that has risen (this causes the breeze) and then heats up and rises. The cycle continues, creating cool breezes from the ocean.

The same happens at nighttime, but in reverse. The ocean is now warmer, because it is holding on to the heat from the day. The air sinks on to the cold land, and as the air over the ocean rises, the cool air on land rushes to replace it (causing a warm breeze out to sea). That air then rises and begins the cycle again.