Mark Hoover, CDC/NIOSH. Mark D. Hoover is a senior research scientist in the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in Morgantown, West Virginia.
This attracts the air from the valley, creating a breeze that blows from the valley floor up towards the top of the mountain. Often birds known as raptors, such as eagles, hawks, condors and vultures, float on these breezes to preserve their energy. This wind pattern is known as a valley breeze.
What are sea breezes and why do they occur? Sea breezes occur during hot, summer days because of the unequal heating rates of land and water. During the day, the land surface heats up faster than the water surface. Therefore, the air above the land is warmer than the air above the ocean. Now, recall that warmer air is lighter than cooler air.