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Air mass

Meteorology Air DischargesAir mass thunderstorm

Air Masses uniform bodies of air
An air mass is a large body of air that has similar temperature and moisture properties throughout.

 


Air mass An extensive body of the atmosphere in which physical properties, particularly temperature and humidity, exhibit only small and continuous differences in the horizontal.

Air masses are classified according to their temperature and moisture content. The terms Arctic, Polar, and Tropical define the temperature of an air mass with arctic being the coldest and tropical being the warmest.

air mass"1. A widespread body of air, the properties of which can be identified as 1) having been established while that air was situated over a particular region of the earth's surface (airmass source region), and 2) undergoing specific ...

Air Mass - An air mass, by definition, is a large dome of air which has similar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics. Often, a front separates two different air masses. Fronts are very narrow zones of transition.

air mass classification—A system used to identify and to characterize the different air masses according to a basic scheme.

Air mass - A giant pool of air where properties such as temperature and dewpoint change very little over great distances.
Glossary of air masses
Maritime tropical air mass - warm tropical air in equatorial regions over or near water.

AIR MASS THUNDERSTORM
A thunderstorm that is produced by convection within an unstable air mass through an instability mechanism.

Air mass A huge volume of air covering thousands of square kilometers that is relatively uniform in temperature and water vapor concentration.
Air mass advection Horizontal movement of air or air masses from one place to another.

Air Mass - a body of air that extends hundreds or thousands of kilometers horizontally and is relatively uniform in temperature and moisture content (see continental arctic, continental polar, continental tropical, maritime polar, ...

Air mass A large body of air that has similar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics.
Air mass (ordinary) thunderstorm A thunderstorm produced by local convection within an unstable air mass.

Air mass: A large body of air that has similar weather characteristics, particularly temperature and humidity.
Air pollution: Contaminants present in the atmosphere such as dust, gases or smoke.

air mass: a large body of air all of similar temperature and humidity.
air pressure: barometric pressure; weight of the atmosphere at a particular point of interest.

AIR MASS: A large body of air having similar horizontal temperature and moisture characteristics.
ALBEDO: The percntage of light reflected by an object.
ALTOCUMULUS: Mid-altitude clouds with a cumuliform shape.

Air Mass- a large body of air that has similar temperature and moisture characteristics.
Albedo- the reflectiveness of a surface given as either a percentage or a decimal.

air mass: a body of air that has the same temperature, moisture, and stability properties.
altimeter: an instrument that measures the altitude of something with respect to a set level.

Air mass A large expanse of air having similar temperature and humidity at any given height.
Air pressure The cumulative force exerted on any surface by the molecules composing air.

Air Mass Large body of air, often hundreds or thousands of miles across, containing air of a similar temperature and humidity.

Air Mass Thunderstorm Generally, a thunderstorm not associated with a front or other type of synoptic-scale forcing mechanism.


Air Mass - A large body of air, usually 1600 diameters or more across, that is characterized by homogeneous physical properties at any given altitude.

warm air mass - See airmass classification.
warning - Issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, is imminent, or has a very high probability of occurring.

POLAR AIR MASS An air mass that forms over a high latitude region. Continental polar air (cP) is formed over cold surface regions and is typically very stable with low moisture.

Air Mass: Body of air where the horizontal differences in temperature and moisture are relatively small. It normally has the horizontal dimension of hundreds of miles.

Air Mass
A large body of air with nearly uniform temperature and moisture content. There are six recognised airmasses that affect the British Isles denoted by their source region and then subsequent track.

Air mass- A huge body of air that has similar temperature, pressure, and humidity throughout.
Air pressure- A force that is the result of the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area.
Altitude- Elevation above sea level.

Air masses are classified as to whether they originate. Over land or water, and if they originate over warm tropical regions or cold polar areas.
**Continental Polar (CP)** ...

AIR MASS: A widespread body of air with consistent temperature and moisture characteristics.

Air mass
A large volume of air with uniform properties of temperature and moisture.
Anabatic wind ...

Air mass: a body of air covering a relatively wide area and exhibiting horizontally uniform properties.
Air pollutant: harmful substance or product introduced into the atmosphere.

An air mass influenced by the sea. It is a secondary characteristic of an air mass classification, signified by the small "m" before the primary characteristic, which is based on source region.

An air mass that originates over the ocean. These air masses are relatively humid.
Maritime polar air(6)
Cool, humid air mass that forms over the cold ocean waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic.

Cold Air Mass
NOAA National Weather Service - Cite This Source - This Definition
Browse Related Terms: A AMS, Air mass, AMS, C AMS, WDLY
Katabatic wind - permalink - collapse ...

How all these air masses interact with each other on both large and small scale - produces weather. Another important factor is the effect of land formations. e.g.

CONTINENTAL AIR MASS An air mass with continental characteristics. It is a secondary characteristic of an air mass classification, signified by the small "c" before the primary characteristic, which is based on source region.

Arctic Air - An air mass that originates over Canada and brings us cold temperatures.

Stable Air: An air mass or portion thereof in which vertical motions are inhibited. Usually found in regions of the atmosphere where an inversion temperature profile is found.
State: The form of a substance: solid, liquid, or gas/vapour.

Cold lowA low pressure system with cold air mass from near the surface to all vertical levels (also called a cold core low).

Several air mass thunderstorms will form, or a line of towering cumulus clouds with showers. At the beach, there are blue skies and a light breeze. This often occurs along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Flordia's east coast.

Cold Air DamA shallow cold air mass which is carried up the slope of a mountain barrier, but with insufficient strength to surmount the barrier.

Stationary FrontA front between warm and cold air masses that is moving very slowly or not at all.STBLStableSteam FogFog formed when water vapor is added to air which is much colder than the source of the vapor.

This usually occurs when the same air mass is parked over the same area for several days. During this time, the light winds cannot "cleanse" the buildup of smoke, dust, gases, and other industrial air pollution.

So, how is an 'air mass' defined?
A. An air mass is classically defined as a large body of air (many hundreds to a few thousands of km in extent),having quasi-uniform horizontal temperature and humidity characteristics.

Dryline: A boundary separating moist and dry air masses and an important factor in severe weather frequency in the Great Plains.

The properties that characterize the climate are thermal (temperatures of the surface air, water, land, and ice), kinetic (wind and ocean currents, together with associated vertical motions and the motions of air masses, aqueous humidity, ...

These systems are low pressure regions that form where there is a horizontal difference in wind and / or temperature, such as between a cold air mass over Canada and a warm air mass over the southern US.

A boundary separating a moist and dry air mass. Shown on a synoptic chart as a trough. Dry lines are common across inland QLD during the warmer months of the year where convection will occur on the eastern side.

It can be used to track air-parcel movement and to identify the origins of air masses. Examples are absolute humidity, equivalent potential temperature, radioactivity, and CCN composition. 2.

or terrestrial radiation emitted from the earth and the downwelling infrared radiation from the atmosphere Effective TopographyThe topography as seen by an approaching flow, which may include not only the actual terrain but also cold air masses ...

Zonal and Meridional Meteorologists will often use the terms "zonal" and "meridonial" to describe the upper level wind patterns which indicate the trajectory of air masses and weather systems.

Overrunning A weather pattern in which a relatively warm air mass is in motion above another air mass of greater density at the surface.

Air mass thunderstorms typically are associated with warm, humid air in the summer months; they develop during the afternoon in response to insolation, and dissipate rather quickly after sunset.

The temperate cyclone is fed by the energy available at fronts between air masses, covers a large area, and has moderate winds. The tornado is fed by vertical instability of the atmosphere, covers a very small area, and has extremely high winds.

Front - A narrow transition zone, or boundary, between disparate synoptic scale air masses whose primary discontinuity is density.

Front - A transition zone between two differing air masses. Basic types are cold front, warm front, and stationary front.

Overrunning - A condition that exists when an air mass moves up and over a denser air mass on the surface. The result is usually low clouds, fog and steady, light precipitation.

FRONT- A transition zone between air masses
FRONTOGENESIS- The intensification of a front (temperature gradient is becoming more compact; isotherms closer together in the region the front is developing.

As a cold, dry air mass moves over the Great Lakes regions, the air picks up lots of moisture from the Great Lakes. This saturated air later dumps its water content (in the form of snow, of course!) over areas surrounding the lakes.

Cold Front: The leading edge of a relatively colder airmass which separates two air masses in which the gradients of temperature and moisture are maximized.

COLD FRONT - An advancing mass of cold air. The boundary formed by two air masses where cold air is replacing warmer air.
CONDENSATION - A change of state of water from a gas (water vapor) to a liquid.

convection- transfer of heat by movement of air or water; specifically, rise of an air mass caused by warming over land or sea that often causes the formation of clouds.

See also: Air, Temperature, Front, Weather, Surface