Air Masses

Mrs. Lower
Carter JH
 What is an Air Mass?

 A large volume of air that has similar temperature,

humidity, and air pressure throughout.

 Originate from high and lower pressure systems.

 Four types of air masses:

 Maritime
 Polar
 Continental
 Tropical
Air masses get their characteristics
based on
 High Pressure System

 Clear skies and fair weather

 Maintain current weather
 Cool dry air

 Hint…
 High pressure pushes the clouds
away
 Low Pressure System

 Cloudy skies, rain, storms, and strong winds

 Cause change in current weather

 Hint…
Low pressure means clouds
can move into area
 Maritime Air Mass

Form over oceans

What type of air?

moist or dry?
 Continental Air Mass

Form over land

What type of air?

 Polar Air Mass

Form in North

What type of air?

warm or cold
 Tropical Air Mass

Form in tropics

What type of air?

 Create a 4 Square

What type of air is associated with-

 Continental Tropical
 Continental Polar
 Maritime Tropical
 Maritime Polar
 Label Your Map

Label the four types of air

masses to your map.

What type of air would be

associated with these four?
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es2001/es2001page01.cfm?chapter_no=20
 cP air mass

mT air mass dry, cool air

warm, moist air High Pressure

Area
Low Pressure
Center
 cP air mass

mT air mass dry, cool air

warm, moist air High Pressure

Area
Low Pressure
Center
 cP air mass

mT air mass dry, cool air

warm, moist air High Pressure

Area
Low Pressure
Center
 cP air mass

mT air mass dry, cool air

warm, moist air High Pressure

Area
Low Pressure
Center
 Discussion

What kind of temperature and

moisture content would you expect
a maritime polar air mass to bring?
Fronts
 Fronts

 Caused by two or more air masses colliding (coming

together)

 Large amounts of weather happen along fronts

 We can make predictions about changes in weather

based on the types of fronts interacting.
 Types of Fronts

 Warm Front

 Cold Front

 Stationary Front

 Occluded Front
 Warm Front
 Warm air rises up and over the colder air
 Move slowly
 Bring slow steady rain
 Warm, humid air follows
Warm front
 Cold Front
 Cold air forces the warm air up
 Move quickly
 Bring heavy rain and thunderstorms
 Cold, dry air follows
Cold Front
Notice how
steep the angle
is between the
two air masses

Typically brings
sudden, heavy
rains and storms
Cold Front
 Cold Front

                                                                                
 What do you think?

 You are watching the news and they

announce a cold front will be moving
through today around 3:00 p.m. What
type of weather would you expect? And
what would you bring with you to
school or work?
 Stationary Front

 Warm and Cold front meet but don’t move.

 Days of clouds and rain
Stationary Front
 Occluded Front

 Warm front stuck between two cold fronts

 Can cause clouds and precipitation

 What do you think?

 How do fronts impact our weather?