New review maps advances in sea-land breeze research: identification, observation, and interacting factors
image: The conceptual diagram of SLB system. The SLB system comprises two complementary components: the sea breeze (SW), which occurs during daytime, and the land breeze (LW), which occurs at night. Both are driven by the diurnal temperature difference between land and sea (TDLS), resulting from the disparity in heat capacity between land and ocean surfaces. During daytime, TDLS develops due to differential heating under solar shortwave radiation, while at night, it arises from differential cooling through longwave radiation emission. Therefore, factors influencing radiative forcing—such as cloud cover—play critical roles in modulating SLB dynamics. The background wind field refers to large-scale airflow driven by synoptic-scale systems and constitutes one component of coastal wind patterns. The terms onshore and offshore wind specifically denote the near-surface component of the background wind field that is oriented roughly perpendicular to the coastline.
Credit: ©Science China Press
This review is led by Professor Chuanfeng Zhao from Peking University, along with collaborators Lixing Shen (First Author), Rui Hang, Zhijiang Zhang, Yikun Yang, Yizhi Zhu, and Jiefeng Li. Sea-land breezes are among the most pervasive mesoscale circulation systems in coastal regions worldwide, yet studying them has long been hampered by challenges in wind field measurement, a lack of high temporal resolution data, and scarce vertical wind profiles.
Drawing on recent progress driven by advanced observational technologies, the researchers provide a structured overview of the field across four dimensions. They trace the evolution of sea-land breeze identification from qualitative descriptions to modern multi-variable threshold methods incorporating wind, air pressure, land-sea temperature difference, and cloud cover. They consolidate global observational findings on occurrence frequency, inland penetration distance, wind speed, and diurnal lifecycle—noting, for instance, that Mediterranean coasts record the highest wind speeds while urbanization is reducing long-term wind speeds in Chinese coastal cities.
The review also proposes a novel framework categorizing the drivers of sea-land breezes into meteorological and non-meteorological factors, each further divided into dynamic and thermal mechanisms. Not only the drivers of sea-land breezes but also the interaction between sea-land breezes and other factors have been deeply reviewed. Background wind fields, land-sea temperature gradients, urbanization, coastal geometry, urban heat islands, and atmospheric aerosols are all shown to profoundly modulate breeze intensity and frequency. In turn, sea-land breezes shape local weather, transport pollutants, and drive coastal upwelling currents with implications for fisheries and wind farm planning.
Looking forward, the authors identify two critical research frontiers: overcoming current spatiotemporal limitations in breeze characterization through next-generation observation technologies, and investigating the largely unexplored mechanisms by which aerosols affect sea-land breeze dynamics through micro-physical processes. These advances promise to strengthen both atmospheric circulation theory and practical strategies for coastal disaster mitigation, air quality management, and climate adaptation.
See the article:
Shen L, Zhao C, Hang R, Zhang Z, Yang Y, Zhu Y, Li J. 2026. Progress in the study of sea land breeze: Identification, observation, and interacting factors. Science China Earth Sciences, 69(3): 974–991, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-025-1741-5.