Types of Air Masses
Continental Polar
Cold Dry air
Contiental Polar
Northern united states
What type of front is blue with triangles?
COLD
What is an air mass?
A mass of air that has the same conditions throughout.
Weather moves from
west to east
Continental Arctic
Extremely Cold and Dry -- Arctic Circle
Continental Arctic
Arctic Circle
Front with Red and half circles
Warm!
What is the place air masses meet called?
FRONT!
What are the currents of air in the atmosphere that help move air masses?
Jet Streams
Maritime Polar
Cool and Humid air
Maritime Polar
northern US coasts
Front with BOTH blue triangles and red half circles
Stationary
What is a convection current?
transfer of heat from one place to another by motion of air.
FREE SPACE
FREE SPACE
Maritime Tropical
Humid warm air
MARITIME TROPICAL
tropical locations on the coasts
PURPLE front with both shapes
Occluded
When air masses meet at a front, the collision often causes:
storms and changeable weather.
Scientists classify air masses according to:
temperature and humidity
Continental Tropical
Dry and hot
Continental Tropical
Southern US states like New mexico, Nevada
What type of front is caused by a slow moving polar air mass being overtaken by a warm air mass?
Warm front
How do convection currents impact weather?
The heat transfer function of convection currents drives the earth’s ocean currents, atmospheric weather and geology.
winds spin in a counter-clockwise direction in a cyclone
winds spin clock-wise direction in an anticyclone