GEOG 131 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5.0-5.2: Solar Irradiance, Thunderstorm
Document Summary
Tornado- forms beneath a thunderstorm as a swirling vortex of winds that can reach speeds of several hundred kilometers per hour. Weather- conditions in the atmosphere at some speci c time and place: response to variations of insolation and resulting energy balances, large scale motion in the atmosphere, and atmospheric moisture. Air masses- large bodies of air that have relatively uniform temperatures and moisture over large horizontal distances. Arctic or antarctic air masses (a) are formed near the north and south poles: extremely cold and very dry because the water vapor capacity is low in such cold environments. Continental polar (cp) air masses are further away from poles: cold and dry but not as extreme as a. Equatorial (e) air masses very warm and moist. Maritime tropical (mt) air masses form over warm oceanic regions: warm and moist, have in uence over much of the earth because so much of the world is covered by oceans.
