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12 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Air Mass
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A large body of air in which temperature & humidity are the same in different locations at the same altitude
Categorized by Moisture & Temperature Move from West to East in U.S. |
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Fronts
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The boundary between air masses
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4 Types of Air Masses
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Maritime
Tropical Continental Polar |
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Maritime (m)
(MOIST) |
MOIST - Forms over water
Air becomes moist Air gains moisture from water below |
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Tropical (T)
(HOT) |
HOT - Forms near the equator
Air becomes warm as it gains energy from warm land or water |
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Continental (c)
(DRY) |
DRY - Forms over land
Land is dry Air becomes dry as it loses moisture to the dry land below it |
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Polar (P)
(COLD) |
COLD - forms far from equator
Air masses become cool Loses energy to cold land/water |
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Weather changes where air masses meet
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When a new air mass moves over your area, weather can change
Clouds can form in this rising air |
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Cold front
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Cold, dense air mass that pushes warm air upward
Can move into regions quickly Produces: Clouds Precipitation Brief, heavy storms - afterward air is cooler and clearer |
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Warm Front
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Warm air masses that push cold air upward
Move slower than cold fronts Produces: Cloud covered skies Many hours of gently/steady rain or snow - as it passes the air is warmer |
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Stationary Front ("Stays")
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Occur when warm and cold air meet & neither air mass has the force to move the other
Produces: clouds & precipitation that cover the sky and could last for many days (i.e. stationary - "stay") |
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Occluded Front
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Occurs when a warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses. The warm air mass rises as the cool air masses push and meet in the middle.
Produces: Strong winds Heavy precipitation (either rain or snow) |
