An air mass is a large volume of air in the atmosphere that is mostly uniform in temperature and moisture .
What is an example of an air mass?
Air that stands over the Caribbean Sea , for example, becomes a warm, humid maritime tropical air mass, while air that lies in the Arctic regions of northern Canada takes on the cold and dry characteristics of its surroundings and becomes a continental polar air mass. ...
What is air mass simple definition?
An air mass is a large volume of air in the atmosphere that is mostly uniform in temperature and moisture .
What is an air mass quizlet?
An air mass is a huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature,humidity, and air pressure at given height . Tropical Air Mass. Tropical or warm air masses form in the tropic and have low air pressure. You just studied 9 terms!
What is an air mass and what is an example of an air mass?
An air mass is like a team whose players are all wearing the same uniform . In this case, the players are air, not people. And the uniforms that they wear are the similar characteristics such as temperature and humidity. Like sports teams, when two air masses come together, there is often turbulence.
What are characteristics of air mass?
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 are three characteristics of air mass?
Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist . Polar air masses are characterized by cold air near the surface while tropical air masses are warm or hot. Arctic air masses are extremely cold.
What is the purpose of air mass?
In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content . Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime source regions.
What are the air mass symbols?
With two terms for the humidity and four terms for the temperature, eight names are possible. These are: mE, mT, mP, mA, cE, cT, cP, cA (maritime equatorial, maritime tropical, maritime polar, maritime arctic, continental equatorial, continental tropical, continental polar, continental arctic).
What type of weather does an air mass usually bring?
Continental air masses are usually relatively dry and usually bring fair weather . Maritime air masses are usually humid and may bring precipitation.
What is the best source region for an air mass?
The best source regions for air masses are large flat areas where air can be stagnant long enough to take on the characteristics of the surface below .
What type of air mass is wet and cold?
Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist. Polar air masses are characterized by cold air near the surface while tropical air masses are warm or hot.
What is an air mass choose all that apply?
STUDY. What is an air mass? Choose all that apply. – Large body of air with similar temperature and moisture at any given altitude . -Large body of air usually 1600 kilometers or more across.
How do air masses originate?
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 .
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.
How does air mass move?
Why do air masses move? Winds and jet streams push them along . Cold air masses tend to move toward the equator. Warm air masses tend to move toward the poles.
