Which air mass will form over a warm continent?
Continental air masses form over land and are dry. Therefore, an air mass that develops over northern Canada is called a continental polar air mass and is cold and dry. One that forms over the Indian Ocean is called a maritime tropical air mass and is warm and humid.
What type of air mass is warm and dry?
Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist. Polar air masses are characterized by cold air near the surface while tropical air masses are warm or hot. Arctic air masses are extremely cold.
What type of air mass would form over the southern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico?
Maritime tropical air forms in subtropical regions such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It is associated with warm, humid weather and thunderstorms. 2. Maritime tropical air is most commonly found in the United States during the summer months.
What are the 4 major air masses?
Air masses are commonly classified according to four basic source regions with respect to latitude. These are Polar (cold), Arctic (very cold), Equatorial (warm and very moist), and Tropical (warm).
How do air masses affect climate?
When a warmer air mass travels over colder ground, the bottom layer of air cools and, because of its high density, is trapped near the ground. In general, cold air masses tend to flow toward the equator and warm air masses tend to flow toward the poles. This brings heat to cold areas and cools down areas that are warm.
What two characteristics are used to describe an air mass?
The two characteristics that are used to classify air masses, are temperature and humidity.
How does the sea affect air masses?
When water molecules are heated, they exchange freely with the air in a process called evaporation. Ocean water is constantly evaporating, increasing the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air to form rain and storms that are then carried by trade winds.
When two air masses collide but neither is strong enough to push the other out way?
A stationary front forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each other, but neither is powerful enough to move the other.
What happens when the boundary between two air masses stall?
Boundary between two air masses stalls, the front is called a stationary front. Weather events that cause a damage like hurricanes, tornados, thunderstorms, and blizzards. have warm temperatures, moisture, and rising air maybe supplied by low pressure system and also known as electrical storms.
What is the amount of water vapor in the air called?
humidity
Can’t you see water vapor in the air?
You can’t see water vapor in the air, because water molecules are very small. When water is a liquid, you can see it in the form of clouds. The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity. The amount of water vapor the air can hold depends on the temperature of the air.
What happens when air absorbs more water vapor?
When air holds as much water vapor as it can for a given temperature (100% relative humidity), it is said to be saturated. If saturated air is warmed, it can hold more water (relative humidity drops), which is why warm air is used to dry objects–it absorbs moisture. Such air compresses and warms.