Table of Contents
Where would you find a tropical maritime air mass equator?
Equatorial air masses develop near the Equator, and are warm. Air masses are also identified based on whether they form over land or over water. Maritime air masses form over water and are humid.
Where does the tropical continental air mass come from?
Tropical continental This air mass originates over North Africa and the Sahara (a warm source region).
Is Maritime Polar formed over land or water?
Maritime polar air is more humid than continental polar air because it forms over the ocean.
What are the characteristics of a maritime tropical air mass?
Maritime tropical (mT) air masses are warm, moist, and usually unstable. Some maritime tropical air masses originate in the subtropical Pacific Ocean, where it is warm and air must travel a long distance over water. These rarely extend north or east of southern California.
Where is the continental tropical air mass?
northern Mexico
Continental tropical air masses originate in northern Mexico. They are characterized by clear skies and negligible rainfall. If one moves into the Great Plains and stagnates, a severe drought can result. Air masses can be modified significantly as they pass over regions with different characteristics.
Where is the Maritime polar?
Maritime polar air masses form over the northern Atlantic and the northern Pacific oceans. They most often influence the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast. Maritime polar air masses can form any time of the year and are usually not as cold as continental polar air masses.
What is the maritime polar air mass?
Maritime polar (mP) air masses are cool, moist, and unstable. Some maritime polar air masses originate as continental polar air masses over Asia and move westward over the Pacific, collecting warmth and moisture from the ocean.
What are the 4 air masses?
There are four categories for air masses: arctic, tropical, polar and equatorial. Arctic air masses form in the Arctic region and are very cold. Tropical air masses form in low-latitude areas and are moderately warm. Polar air masses take shape in high-latitude regions and are cold.
What are the six types of air masses?
Types of Air Masses. Each source region can also be either continental or maritime, and to represent this, we simply combine the category letters. This gives us six total types of air masses on Earth: maritime arctic (mA), maritime polar (mP), maritime tropical (mT); and continental arctic (cA), continental polar (cP) and continental tropical (cT).
What are maritime polar air masses?
Maritime polar (mP) air masses are cool, moist, and unstable. Some maritime polar air masses originate as continental polar air masses over Asia and move westward over the Pacific, collecting warmth and moisture from the ocean. Some mP air masses originate from the North Atlantic and move southwestward toward the Northeast States .
What are continental tropical air masses?
Continental tropical (cT) air masses are hot, dry, unstable at low levels and generally stable aloft (upper-level ridge) Continental tropical air masses originate in northern Mexico. They are characterized by clear skies and negligible rainfall.