Which statement best describes the land breeze?

• A. Daytime, blowing from sea to land
• B. Nighttime, blowing from sea to land
• C. Always from sea to land
• D. Nighttime, blowing from land to sea

Answer: (D)

Land breeze occurs at night when the land cools faster than the sea after sunset. The cooling makes air over the land denser and higher in pressure, while the sea stays warmer and has relatively lower surface pressure. This pressure difference drives air from the land out toward the sea at the surface, creating a breeze that blows from land to sea. That offshore flow is exactly what the statement describes. In contrast, during the day the land heats up, air over land rises, and cooler air from the sea moves landward, producing a breeze from sea to land. The land breeze is typically weaker than the daytime sea breeze but is the offshore wind you’d experience at night.