Phys Geo... Chapter 7

  1. Air Masses
    • - extensive body of air that has relatively uniform properties in the horizontal dimension and moves as an entity.
    • - large, uniform entity
  2. Origin of Air Masses
    Formed by remaining over a uniform land or water which will allow it to develop uniform temperature and humidity.
  3. Arctic (A)
    • - central/northern Canada
    • - very cold, very dry, very stable
    • - winer
  4. Continental Polar (cP)
    • - central/ northern canada
    • - cold, dry, very stable air mass
    • - winter
  5. maritime Polar (mP)
    - as cold an dry as continental polar
  6. Maritime Tropical (mT)
    principal source of moisture
  7. Continental Tropical (cT)
    summer air mass, hot, dry, unstable
  8. Fronts
    • - zone of discontinuity between unlike air masses
    • - Warm front brings warm air masses and a cold front brings cold air masses
  9. Midlatitude Cyclone
    • - large migratory low pressure system that occurs within mid lats, moves with westerlies, involving interaction of warm and cold air masses along defined fronts.
    • - life cycle could be from a few hours to a few weeks
  10. Origin of MLC
    • - originate from rosspy waves
    • - follow flow of polar front jet streams
  11. How it dies...
    - when cold front overtakes the warm front
  12. Midlatitude Anticyclones
    • - a large migratory high-pressure cell of the middle latitudes that moves with westerlies.
    • - clockwise air circulation and usually no rain
    • - air flows down unlike regular cyclone therefore no rain, also no frotns
    • - larger than MLC
  13. Relationship between MLC and MLA's
    • - both are migratory systems within westerlies.
    • - usually form together
    • - but can occur independently
    • - dominantly in winter and follow polar front jet streams.
  14. Tropical Cyclones
    • - intense, revolving, rain-drenched, migratory and destructive cyclone in tropics and subtropic latitudes, containing very high wind.
    • - North and Central America - Hurricane
    • - Western North Pacific- Typhoon
    • - Philippines- Baguious
    • - Indian ocean and Australia- Cyclone
  15. Characteristics of tropical cyclone
    • - low pressure systems, circular shape
    • - winds must exceed 74 mph
Author
TuellMan
ID
8661
Card Set
Phys Geo... Chapter 7
Description
Chapter 7, Transient Atmospheric Disturbances and Weather Systems
Updated