Air Masses

Air Masses

Ch 4 L 4 p. 132-139

What Are the Major Air Masses?

• An air mass is a huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature, humidity and air pressure at any given height.

• Four major types of air masses influence the weather in North America: maritime tropical, continental tropical, maritime polar, and continental polar.

Multiple Choice

What is a huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature, humidity and air pressure at any given height?

• Air Mass

• Air Front

• Air Pressure

Multiple Select

What are the four major types of air masses influence the weather in North America?

• maritime tropical

• continental tropical

• maritime polar

• continental polar

• maritime tropical tropcial

What Are the Major Air Masses?

• Maritime air masses form over the ocean and can be very humid.

• Continental air masses form over land, and are drier than maritime air masses.

• Tropical air masses are warm, form in the tropics, and have low air pressure.

• Polar air masses are cold, form near the poles, and have high air pressure.

Multiple Choice

What air masses form over the ocean and can be very humid?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses form over land, and are drier than maritime air masses?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses are warm, form in the tropics, and have low air pressure?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses are cold, form near the poles, and have high air pressure?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

What Are the Major Air Masses?

• In North America, most air masses move from west to east.

• The jet stream is a band of high-speed wind about 10 km above the surface of Earth that pushes air masses along.

• Fronts occur along the boundaries between air masses.

• Changeable weather develops along fronts.

Multiple Choice

How do air masses move?

• East to West

• West to East

• North to South

• South to North

Multiple Choice

What is a band of high-speed wind about 10 km above the surface of Earth that pushes air masses along?

• Jet Stream

• Air Masses

• Air Fronts

Multiple Choice

What occur along the boundaries between air masses?

• Fronts

• Jet Streams

• Weather

What Are the Main Types of Fronts?

• Colliding air masses can form four types of fronts: cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded front.

• When a faster cold air mass runs into a slower warm air mass, a cold front forms.

• The cold air slides under the warm air.

• As warm air rises, it cools and condenses, often resulting in heavy rain or snow.

Multiple Select

Colliding air masses can form which types of fronts?

• Cold Front

• Warm Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Choice

When a faster cold air mass runs into a slower warm air mass what front forms?

• Cold Front

• Warm Front

• Occluded Front

• Stationary Front

Multiple Select

As warm air rises over the cold air (forming a cold front), it cools and condenses, often resulting in what?

• Heavy Rain

• Snow

• Freezing Rain

• Sleet

What Are the Main Types of Fronts?

• When a faster warm air mass runs into a slower cold air mass, a warm front forms.

• The warm air slides up over the cold air, possibly causing light rain or snow.

• When a cold air mass and warm air mass collide, but neither displaces the other, a stationary front occurs.

• Water vapor in the warm air condenses into rain, snow, fog, or clouds, lingering for days.

Multiple Choice

When a faster warm air mass runs into a slower cold air mass which front forms?

• Cold Front

• Warm Front

• Occluded Front

• Stationary Front

Multiple Select

The warm air slides up over the cold air (forming a warm front), possibly causing what?

• Light Rain

• Snow

• Sleet

• Freezing Rain

Multiple Choice

When a cold air mass and warm air mass collide, but neither displaces the other what occurs?

• Warm Front

• Cold Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Select

In a stationary front, water vapor in the warm air condenses and forms what?

• Rain

• Snow

• Fog

• Clouds

What Are the Main Types of Fronts?

• When a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses, the warm air is pushed up and an occluded front forms.

• (The warm air mass is cut off, or occluded, from the ground.)

• Temperatures at the ground get cooler, and it may get cloudy and rain or snow.

Multiple Choice

When a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses, the warm air is pushed up and what forms?

• Warm Front

• Cold Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Select

In an occluded front, what kind of weather may occur?

• Temperatures drop

• Cloudy

• Rain

• Snow

• Warm weather

What Weather Do Cyclones and Anticyclones Bring?

• A swirling center of low-pressure air is called a cyclone.

• In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones spin counterclockwise when viewed from above.

• Cyclones and decreasing air pressure are associated with clouds, wind, and precipitation.

Multiple Choice

In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones spin _________________ when viewed from above.

• counterclockwise

• clockwise

Multiple Choice

A swirling center of low-pressure air is called a what?

• Cyclone

• Anticyclone

• Tornado

• Anitornado

Multiple Select

Cyclones and decreasing air pressure are associated with what?

• Clouds

• Wind

• Precipitation

• Warm Weather

What Weather Do Cyclones and Anticyclones Bring?

• An anticyclone is the opposite of a cyclone.

• The descending air in an anticyclone generally causes dry clear weather.

Multiple Choice

An ______________ is the opposite of a cyclone.

• anticyclone

• new cyclone

Multiple Select

The descending air in an anticyclone generally causes dry clear weather.

• Dry Weather

• Clear Weather

• Precipitation

Review Time

Time to see what you have learned!

Multiple Choice

What is a huge body of air in the lower atmosphere that has similar temperature, humidity and air pressure at any given height?

• Air Mass

• Air Front

• Air Pressure

Multiple Select

What are the four major types of air masses influence the weather in North America?

• maritime tropical

• continental tropical

• maritime polar

• continental polar

• maritime tropical tropcial

Multiple Choice

What air masses form over the ocean and can be very humid?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses form over land, and are drier than maritime air masses?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses are warm, form in the tropics, and have low air pressure?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

What air masses are cold, form near the poles, and have high air pressure?

• Maritime

• Tropical

• Continental

• Polar

Multiple Choice

How do air masses move?

• East to West

• West to East

• North to South

• South to North

Multiple Choice

What is a band of high-speed wind about 10 km above the surface of Earth that pushes air masses along?

• Jet Stream

• Air Masses

• Air Fronts

Multiple Choice

What occur along the boundaries between air masses?

• Fronts

• Jet Streams

• Weather

Multiple Select

Colliding air masses can form which types of fronts?

• Cold Front

• Warm Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Choice

When a faster cold air mass runs into a slower warm air mass what front forms?

• Cold Front

• Warm Front

• Occluded Front

• Stationary Front

Multiple Select

As warm air rises over the cold air (forming a cold front), it cools and condenses, often resulting in what?

• Heavy Rain

• Snow

• Freezing Rain

• Sleet

Multiple Choice

When a cold air mass and warm air mass collide, but neither displaces the other what occurs?

• Warm Front

• Cold Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Choice

When a cold air mass and warm air mass collide, but neither displaces the other what occurs?

• Warm Front

• Cold Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Select

In a stationary front, water vapor in the warm air condenses and forms what?

• Rain

• Snow

• Fog

• Clouds

Multiple Choice

When a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses, the warm air is pushed up and what forms?

• Warm Front

• Cold Front

• Stationary Front

• Occluded Front

Multiple Select

In an occluded front, what kind of weather may occur?

• Temperatures drop

• Cloudy

• Rain

• Snow

• Warm weather

Multiple Choice

In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones spin _________________ when viewed from above.

• counterclockwise

• clockwise

Multiple Choice

A swirling center of low-pressure air is called a what?

• Cyclone

• Anticyclone

• Tornado

• Anitornado

Multiple Select

Cyclones and decreasing air pressure are associated with what?

• Clouds

• Wind

• Precipitation

• Warm Weather

Multiple Choice

An ______________ is the opposite of a cyclone.

• anticyclone

• new cyclone

Multiple Select

The descending air in an anticyclone generally causes dry clear weather.

• Dry Weather

• Clear Weather

• Precipitation