NATS 1750 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Arctic Air, Latent Heat, Stratus Cloud
30 Dec 2019
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Lecture 21: air masses, clouds, and rain [chapters 17 and 18] Tropical air masses are warm, while arctic and polar air masses are cool. Maritime air masses are moist, while continental air masses are dry. Warm font = cold air mass retreats and a warm air mass advances. Polar-front jet stream: are boundaries between two air masses. Cold font = cold air mass advances under a warm air mass. Over north america, it tends to shift north in summer and south in winter. Will become less stable and expand during the winter in the northern hemisphere, sending cold arctic. When flowing air reaches a mountain font, it has to rise. At a front, warm air must rise over an advancing mass of cold air. Air becomes buoyant and rises over warmer ground. Cooler air then flows int the front side. High-altitude clouds = clouds developed above 6km or 20,000ft. Mid-altitude clouds = clouds that form between 3-6km (10,000-20,000ft)
