Air masses that form over the ocean, called maritime air masses , are more humid than those that form over land, called continental air masses. The second part of the name describes the temperature of the air mass, which depends on the latitude where it formed.
How would you describe an air mass over the Pacific Ocean?
Maritime polar air masses , abbreviated mP on weather maps, tend to dominate the Pacific coast region. These air masses form over a cold ocean current in the northern Pacific Ocean. ... Maritime polar air masses have the capability to produce cloudy, damp, or foggy conditions, with fog more likely near the shoreline.
What are the 6 types of air masses?
This gives us six total types of air masses on Earth: maritime arctic (mA), maritime polar (mP), maritime tropical (mT); and continental arctic (cA), continental polar (cP) and continental tropical (cT) .
What are the 4 fronts?
- Cold Front. A side view of a cold front (A, top) and how it is represented on a weather map (B, bottom). ...
- Warm Front. ...
- Stationary Front. ...
- Occluded Front.
What type of air mass would form over the Pacific Ocean?
mP= Maritime Polar : A cold or cool air mass that always carries moisture. It forms over the cool North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
What are the 4 types of air mass?
There are four categories for air masses: arctic, tropical, polar and equatorial . Arctic air masses form in the Arctic region and are very cold. Tropical air masses form in low-latitude areas and are moderately warm.
What are the five types of air masses?
The air masses in and around North America include the continental arctic (cA), maritime polar (mP), maritime tropical (mT), continental tropical (cT), and continental polar (cP) air masses .
What do all air masses have in common?
Air masses have fairly uniform temperature and moisture content in horizontal direction (but not uniform in vertical). Air masses are characterized by their temperature and humidity properties. The properties of air masses are determined by the the underlying surface properties where they originate.
What happens when two air masses meet?
When two different air masses come into contact, they don’t mix . They push against each other along a line called a front. When a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, the warm air rises since it is lighter. At high altitude it cools, and the water vapor it contains condenses.
What air masses affect the US?
Five air masses affect the United States during the course of a typical year: continental polar, continental arctic, continental tropical, maritime polar, and maritime tropical . Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist.
What causes air masses?
An air mass forms whenever the atmosphere remains in contact with a large, relatively uniform land or sea surface for a time sufficiently long to acquire the temperature and moisture properties of that surface . The Earth’s major air masses originate in polar or subtropical latitudes.
How are air masses named?
Air masses are NAMED by their temperature and humidity characteristics . The humidity characteristic is derived from the type of surface over which the air mass sits. ... Air masses originating near the equator are EQUATORIAL, designated by the capital letter E. These are considered hot air masses.
What are the two things that we use to classify air masses?
What two characteristics are used to classify air masses? The two characteristics that are used to classify air masses, are temperature and humidity .
What type of front is still and not moving?
Stationary Front : a front that is not moving. When a warm or cold front stops moving, it becomes a stationary front.
What clouds do cold fronts bring?
Cumulus clouds are the most common cloud types that are produced by cold fronts. They often grow into cumulonimbus clouds, which produce thunderstorms. Cold fronts can also produce nimbostratus, stratocumulus, and stratus clouds.
What fronts mean?
noun. the foremost part or surface of anything . the part or side of anything that faces forward: the front of a jacket. the part or side of anything, as a building, that seems to look out or to be directed forward: He sat in the front of the restaurant.
