Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Quiz · Meteorology
On a clear, still night, air flows down these slopes and out over the water, as shown by the arrows. What is this wind called?
A night scene: a steep, snow-topped mountain slope running down to the sea, under a clear sky with a crescent moon. Gold arrows with a question mark show air flowing down the slope and out over the water. Caption: clear, still night under high ground.
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A katabatic wind. At night the high ground cools and chills the air next to it. That air is denser, so it drains downhill and can arrive in an anchorage under mountains as a sudden strong offshore wind. An anabatic wind is the gentler daytime opposite, with warmed air flowing up the slope.
