Download Air Masses and Fronts ppt

Air Masses and Fronts
• What is an Air
Mass?
• volumes of air that
take the temperature
and humidity
characteristics of
the land or water are
over which they
form.
• They can be warm
or cold.
• They can be wet or
dry.
• How do you name • Humidity
Air Masses?
Characteristics– Wet air masses form
over water (oceans)
and are called
Maritime
– Dry air masses form
over land and are
called Continental
• Cont. of how do
you name Air
Masses?
• Temperature
Characteristics-
– Cold air masses form
near the poles and are
called Polar
– Warm air masses form
near the equator and
are called Tropical
Combinations of warm/cold, wet/dry make four
possible different air masses.
Wet
Dry
Warm
Wet/Warm =
Maritime Tropical
(mT)
Cold
Wet/Cold =
Maritime Polar (mP)
Dry/Warm =
Continental
Tropical (cT)
Dry/Cold =
Continental Polar
(cP)
• What is a front?
• When air masses of
diff. temp. and
humidity conditions
collide
• front is boundary
that separates diff.
air masses.
• There are four main
types of fronts.
• What is a cold
front?
• when a cold air mass
pushes into an area.
• Cold air more dense so
when cold and warm meet,
warm rises above cold air.
• When warm moist air
rises, clouds form. Cold
fronts bring short
thunderstorms.
• symbol for cold fronts.
arrows point in direction
cold air is moving.
• What is a warm
front?
• when a warm air mass
pushes into an area.
• less dense warm air rises
over the cooler more
dense air and clouds form.
• Warm fronts bring light
showers and then warmer
temperatures to a region.
• symbol for warm front on a
weather map. bubbles
point in direction warm air
is moving.
• What is a Stationary •
Front?
If the air masses stop
moving
•
If lasts for long time,
boundary breaks
down and air masses
mix, and “front”
disappears.
•
may bring several
days of rainy
weather.
• What is an
occluded front?
• fast moving cold front
“catches up” with a
slow moving warm
front, the warm mass is
lifted and occluded
front occurs.
• brings short violent
thunderstorms and
tornadoes.