ATOC 1050 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Air Mass

• School: CU-Boulder
• Department: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
• Course: ATOC 1050
• Professor: Melissa Nigro

Document Summary

Air mass: an immense body of air, usually 1600 km (994 miles) or more across and several kilometers thick. The air is characterized by homogeneous physical properties (temperature and moisture content) at any given altitude. What characteristics make a good source region: must be an extensive and physically uniform area, must be a region dominated by stationary or slow-moving anticyclones with extensive areas of calm or light winds. Air masses: named for the latitude and nature of the surface of the source region: the latitude of the source region indicate the temperature of the air masses. The 3 categories: arctic(a, polar(p, tropical(t, the nature of the surface of the source region indicated the moisture content of the air mass. Continental polar cp and continental arctic ca (north american air masses: characteristics: cold, dry, stable, source region: northern canada and alaska, weather: cold, dry air and lake effect snow.