Define the concept of air mass and describe it's characteristics
Answers
Air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapour content content. characteristics-1. they have uniform temperature.2. they are moisture content
3. they are large bodies of fair
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Answer:
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.
Explanation:
Characteristics of Air MassesThe characteristics of an air mass are acquired inthe source region, which is the surface area over whichthe air mass originates. The ideal source region has auniform surface (all land or all water), a uniformtemperature, and is an area in which air stagnates toform high-pressure systems. The properties(temperature and moisture content) an air massacquires in its source region are dependent upon anumber of factors—the time of year (winter orsummer), the nature of the underlying surface (whetherland, water, or ice covered), and the length of time itremains over its source region.ARCTIC (A) AIR.—There is a permanenthigh-pressure area in the vicinity of the North Pole. Inthis region, a gentle flow of air over the polar ice fieldsallows an arctic air mass to form. This air mass ischaracteristically dry aloft and very cold and stable inthe lower altitudes.ANTARCTIC (A) AIR.—Antarctica is a greatsource region for intensely cold air masses that havecontinental characteristics. Before the antarctic airreaches other land areas, it becomes modified and isproperly called maritime polar. The temperatures arecolder than in the arctic regions. Results of OperationDeepfreezehaverevealedthecoldestsurfacetemperatures in the world to be in the Antarctic.CONTINENTALPOLAR(cP)AIR.—Thecontinental polar source regions consist of all landareas dominated by the Canadian and Siberianhigh-pressure cells. In the winter, these regions arecovered by snow and ice. Because of the intense coldand the absence of water bodies, very little moisture istaken into the air in these regions. Note that the wordpolar, when applied to air mass designations, does notmean air at the poles (this area is covered by the wordsarctic and antarctic). Polar air is generally found inlatitudes between 40 and 60 degrees and is generallywarmer than arctic air. The air over northern and centralAsia are exceptions to this.MARITIME POLAR (mP) AIR.—The maritimepolar source regions consist of the open unfrozen polarsea areas in the vicinity of 60° latitude, north and south.Such areas are sources of moisture for polar air masses;consequently, air masses forming over these regions aremoist, but the moisture is sharply limited by the coldtemperature.CONTINENTAL TROPICAL (cT) AIR.—Thecontinentaltropicalsourceregionscanbeanysignificant land areas lying in the tropical regions;generally these tropical regions are located betweenlatitudes 25°N and 25°S. The large land areas located inthese latitudes are usually desert regions (such as theSahara or Kalahari Deserts of Africa, the ArabianDesert, and the interior of Australia). The air over theseland areas is hot and dry.MARITIMETROPICAL(mT)AIR.—Themaritime tropical source regions are the large zones ofopen tropical sea along the belt of the subtropicalanticyclones. High-pressure cells stagnate in theseareas most of the year. The air is warm because of thelow latitude and can hold considerable moisture.EQUATORIAL (E) AIR.—The equatorial sourceregion is the area from about latitudes 10°N to 10°S. Itis essentially an oceanic belt that is extremely warmand that has a high moisture content. Convergence ofthe trade winds from both hemispheres and the intenseinsolation over this region causes lifting of the unstable,moist air to high levels. The weather associated withthese conditions is characterized by thunderstormsthroughout the year.SUPERIOR (S) AIR.—Superior air is a high-levelair mass found over the south central United States.This air mass occasionally reaches the surface; becauseof subsidence effects, it is the warmest air mass onrecord in the North American continent in both seasons.Southern Hemisphere Air MassesAirmassesencounteredintheSouthernHemisphere differ little from their counterparts in theNorthern Hemisphere. Since the greater portion of theSouthern Hemisphere is oceanic, it is not surprising tofindmaritimeclimatespredominatinginthathemisphere.The two largest continents of the SouthernHemisphere (Africa and South America) both taperfrom the equatorial regions toward the South Pole andhave small land areas at high latitudes. Maritime polarair is the coldest air mass observed over the middlelatitudes of the Southern Hemisphere.In the interior of Africa, South America, andAustralia, cT air occurs during the summer. Over theremainderoftheSouthernHemisphere,thepredominating air masses are mP, mT, and E air. Thestructure of these air masses is almost identical withthose found in the Northern Hemisphere.
