Download Name Date Class Air Masses Type of Air Mass Where It Forms

Name
Date
Class
Air Masses
Understanding Main Ideas
Fill in the blanks in the table below.
Type of Air Mass
Where It Forms
Temperature
Humidity
1.
Over ocean
Warm
Moist
Maritime polar
2.
Cold
Moist
Continental tropical
Over land
3.
Dry
Continental polar
Over land
Cold
4.
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.
5. ___ Maritime polar air masses are
A cold and dry
B cold and moist
C warm and dry
D warm and moist
6. ___ A stalled front that may bring many
days of clouds and precipitation is a(n)
A cold front
B occluded front
C stationary front
D warm front
7. ___ An air mass that forms over Arizona
and New Mexico will be a(n)
A continental polar air mass
B continental tropical air mass
C maritime polar air mass
D maritime tropical air mass
Fill in the blank to complete each statement.
8. A large body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at a given
height is called a(n) _____________.
9. Air masses that form over oceans are called _____________ air masses.
10. The boundary where air masses meet is a(n) _____________.
11. A(n) _____________ front occurs when a fast-moving warm air mass overtakes
a slower-moving cold air mass.
12. A swirling center of low air pressure is called a(n) _____________.
13. _____________ are high-pressure centers of dry air.
Name
Date
Class
Air Masses
Read the passage and study the figures below it. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, use
the figures to answer the questions that follow.
Occluded Fronts
Recall that an occluded front occurs when a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses
and is cut off from the ground. The figures below show two types of occluded fronts. The arrows
indicate the direction in which the air masses are moving. The type of occluded front that occurs,
A or B, depends on the relative temperatures of the two air masses.
Figure A
Figure B
1. What are the differences between the occluded fronts shown in
Figures A and B?
2. In Figure A, which air mass is densest? Which is least dense?(hint: things with more density SINK)
3. Why doesn’t the warm front in Figure B touch the ground?
4. Predict what would happen if both cold air masses had the same
temperature.
5. Where would you expect clouds and precipitation to form in each
type of occluded front? (hint: remember the three things clouds need to form)