Question

air masses and fronts worksheet name aani ghiik formation of air masses an air mass will form when air sits over an area for a long period of time. the air mass will take on the same characteristics as the surface beneath. therefore an air mass sitting over tropical waters will become warm and moist. this type of air mass is called maritime tropical (mt). an air mass developing over a cold land area is called continental polar (cp) and is cold and dry. a maritime polar (mp) air mass becomes cold and moist because it forms over cold water and a continental tropical air mass is warm and dry, forming over warm land. figure 1 shows where these air masses might develop. the actual temperature and content of these air masses can always vary according to the season and the length of time spent over but they always have these characteristics relative to other air masses. air masses to their characteristic (each letter is used twice): air mass letter characteristic a. maritime tropical (mt) b dry and warm moist and cold b. continental tropical (ct) moist and warm c dry and cold c. continental polar (cp) forms over warm land forms over warm water forms over cold water maritime polar forms over cold land front: differences in air pressure will cause air masses to move. when a cold air mass moves into an area of warmer air, the denser cold air will force the warmer air to rise at the frontal boundary. this situation is called a cold front as seen in figure 2. in the cold front towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds will form. the density difference between the two air masses and the moisture in the warm air will determine how severe the weather in the front will be. cold air is denser than warm air and dry air is denser than moist air. this means that cold dry air is denser than warm moist air. because the density is different between the air masses, there is very little mixing of the air. both air masses are moving in relatively the usually, the warm air in advance of the front has southwest winds and the cold air moving in is the northwest. it is common to experience a change in direction from southwest to northwest after moves through. the cold air mass is moving faster and at a slightly different angle than then warm air moves, friction against the ground slows the air near the surface. this causes upper winds to ard at the front boundary. the warm air is being lifted rapidly in advance of the front. this shear winds which are dangerous for airplanes especially as they land or take off.

Explanation:

Air masses take characteristics from their formation areas. mT forms over warm water (moist/warm), cT over warm land (dry/warm), cP over cold land (dry/cold), mP over cold water (moist/cold).

Answer:

A. Maritime Tropical (mT): Moist and warm, Forms over warm water
B. Continental Tropical (cT): Dry and warm, Forms over warm land
C. Continental Polar (cP): Dry and cold, Forms over cold land
D. Maritime Polar (mP): Moist and cold, Forms over cold water