QUICK REVISION MODULE (UPSC PRELIMS 2022)

GEOGRAPHY

AIR MASS
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fo
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WARM COLD
 AIR MASS
+25OF
-15OF

A large body of air having little horizontal variation in temperature and

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moisture. The homogenous surfaces, over which air masses form, are called
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the source regions .

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FIVE MAJOR SOURCE PRIMARY AIR

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REGIONS MASSES
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1. Warm tropical and 1. Maritime tropical

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subtropical oceans (mT)

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2. The subtropical hot 2. Continental cA Arctic Front

deserts tropical (cT) mP

cP mP
3. The relatively cold high 3. Maritime polar
latitude oceans (mP) mT T Polar Front
mT
4. The very cold snow 4. Continental polar
covered continents in (cP)
high latitudes 5. Continental arctic
5. Permanently ice (cA)
covered continents in ‘m’ stands for Maritime;
the Arctic ‘c’ stands for continental;
‘T’ stands for tropical;
and Antarctica ‘P’ stands for polar and
‘A’ stands for arctic region

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 FRONTS Cold Warm

When two different air masses with distinct properties (temperature, mois-
ture, density, pressure etc.) meet, the boundary zone between them is called a
front . The process of formation of the fronts is known as Frontogenesis while
Frontolysis is the end stage of a front .

FRONT CAN BE RECOGNIZED WITH FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS:

Sharp temperature changes over a relatively short distance.

Sometimes change of 10 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius may be observed.
Change in moisture content
Rapid shifts in wind direction
Pressure changes
Clouds and precipitation patterns

TYPE OF FRONTS
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WARM FRONT
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S
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US CIRRU
STRAT
When a warmer and lighter air mass moves against an existing CIRRO
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A
cold and dense airmass, it rises over the coldet and denser air WARM
S
TRATU
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ALTOS
mass. Unlike the cold front, the changes in temperature and wind STR ATUS
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NIMBO COLD AIR

direction are gradual.
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COLD FRONT CO WARM AIR

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LDA
When a cold and dense airmass forces its way under warm and IR
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CUMULONIMBUS
lighter airmass it makes the warm and lighter airmass to ride over
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it. Cold front is much steeper than the warm front.

STATIONERY FRONT COL

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This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each M
WAR
other but neither is powerful enough to move the
other. Wind blows parallel to the front.

WARM
OCCLUDED FRONT
At an occluded front, the cold air mass from the cold front meets VERY COLD
the cool air that was ahead of the warm front.
COLD

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 CYCLONES

Extra-Tropical cyclone (Temperate cyclone) – These are the weather

disturbances in the mid and high latitude, beyond the tropics.

1. The general
direction of
North Cold Air

movement of
Cold Air
Cold Air temperate cyclones
Front Coldnt
nt is from west to east.

W
Fro War
Fro

ar
m Fron

m
ld
2. Heavy
t Co

Fr
Air

on
Warm Air Warm A
ir

South
1 2
First Stage; (Open Stage) Cold and
warm Air Masses move almost
parallel to each other and the
fronts are localised.
t
m
War concentration of
storms tracks in the
3 vicinity of the
Second Stage; The cold and warm
airmass attempt to force their
Third Stage; On account of the
rising of warm airmass a low
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Icelandic lows.
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entry into each other’s territory. pressure centre develops. The air
Therefore the fronts have become moves towards the low pressure
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3. During winter
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a zone of conflict. centre forming whirlwinds. As a

result a cyclone develops. Cold and
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months, the
warm fronts too have been fully
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developed.
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opposing air masses

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have greater
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Cold Air
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contrasts in their
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properties. So the
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ld
Fro
nt
nt winter cyclones are
Co Warm Fro
Warm Air Front
Co
ld
ir
Warm Front
Front greater in number
Cold A
Warm Air and are more
4 5 6 intense.
Fourth Stage; On account of great Fifth Stage; Warm front is riding Sixth and Last Stage; The warm
4. Jet streams
surge ahead of cold front both
fronts are coming closer and warm
over the cold front. It is called
occluded front. It is the end stage
front has dissolved. Warm and cold
Air Masses move in opposite
supports the growth
front is shrinking away. of a cyclone. direction on both sides of polar
front. This is the end of a cyclone.
and influence the
path of temperate
cyclones.

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 TROPICAL CYCLONE
Undisturbed Winds
Tropopause The tropical cyclone Conditions favoura-
km Tropo
p ause
Tropo
p ause develops from the ble for the formation
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Steering Wind Flow
‘warm core’ of extreme- and intensification of
Subsiding
12 Warm Air ly low pressure area in tropical storms are:
Out F Flow
the tropical oceanic
low Out
Large sea surface
areas.
9
T2
with temperature
6
T1 Ra
in nd
s They are energized higher than 27° C
Ba Ba

from condensation
in
Presence of the
nd
Ra
Eye Wall

Eye Wall

s
3 Nb

process in the towering Coriolis force

P2 Nb Cu
Cu K K

cumulonimbus clouds,
P1

Small variations
Eye
300 200 200 300

surrounding the centre in the vertical

Direction of the Storm of the storm. wind
On reaching the land A pre-existingweak
the moisture supply is low-pressure area
cut off and the storm or low-level-cyclon-
Top View
dissipates. ic circulation
Coriolis force causes Upper divergence
cyclonic circulation. above the sea
level system.
Eye
om
l.c

At the equator, the

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Small variations
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Coriolis force is zero

in the vertical
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and the wind blows

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wind speed
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perpendicular to the
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isobars. The low pres-

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Eyewall
sure gets filled instead
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of getting intensified.
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That is the reason why

0 miles 100 200
tropical cyclones are
100 200 300 not formed near the
equator.
Because of weak verti-
cal wind shear, cyclone
Region Local Name
formation processes are
Indian Ocean Cyclone or limited to latitudes
Chakrvaat
equatorword of the
Atlantic Hurricanes
sub-tropical jet stream.
Western Pacific Typhoons
and South China
Sea
Western Australia Willy-willies

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 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXTRA-TROPICAL AND
TROPICAL CYCLONES –
EXTRA-TROPICAL CYCLONE
Have a clear frontal system and get
energy from the horizontal tempera-
ture contrasts that exist in the atmos-
phere
Can originate over the land and sea
Travel both on oceans and land
Affects a much larger area as
compared to the tropical cyclone.
Move from west to east
TROPICAL CYCLONE
Fronts are not present and get
energy from warm and moist air
of ocean
Originate only over the seas
On reaching the land they dissipate.
Wind velocity in a tropical
cyclone is much higher and it is
more destructive.
Move from east to west

THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES

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Thunderstorm – A storm accompa- Tornado – From severe thunder-
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nied by thunder and lightning is storms sometimes spiraling wind

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called thunderstorm. It is associated descends like a trunk of an ele-

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with the cumulonimbus clouds. Thun- phant with great force, with very
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derstorms are caused by intense con- low pressure at the centre causing
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vection on moist hot days. massive destruction on its way.

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Such a phenomenon is called a

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tornado.
TORNADO

Descending
air

Funnel
cloud with
upward
current

Low
Pressure

FOR DETAILED ENQUIRY, PLEASE CALL:

5
Vision IAS
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