Land and Sea Breezes
Recommended for grades 6–12.
Introduction
Land breezes and sea breezes refer to winds that often occur near an ocean or lake. Land breezes blow from the land to the water while sea breezes blow from the water to the land. Both of these breezes are caused by uneven heating of the Earth’s surface. In this experiment, you will recreate the conditions under which these breezes form and study their causes.
In Part I of this experiment, you will expose sand and water to a light source representing the sun. You will monitor the temperature of the sand and the water and compare their warming behaviors. In Part II, you will monitor the temperatures as warm sand and water cool. This simulates the situation when the sun goes down in the evening. You will then apply your results to local weather patterns.
Objectives
In this experiment, you will
- Use Temperature Probes to measure the temperature of land and water.
- Calculate temperature changes.
- Apply your results to local weather patterns.
- Predict the occurrence of land and sea breezes.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
See all standards correlations for Earth Science with Vernier »
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.