Air Masses

1. What are the 4 main types of air masses? What does each letter stand for?


The four main types of air masses are :


mT- Maritime Tropical


mP- Maritime Polar


cT- Continental Tropical


cP- Continantal Polar


2. Which kind of air mass is most likely to bring hurricanes? Why?
Maritime Troipical because hurricanes are mostly formed in tropical showers and warm breezes.




3. Which kind of air mass(es) is most likely to bring a drought? Why?

Continental Tropical because it would cause the atmosphere to be hot dry which would dry the earths grounds.



4. Which kind of air mass(es) bring lake-effect snowstorms? (check p. 561)
Continental Polar because it is cold and dry in the winter time it can get to the point of snowstorms.

5. Today we learned about the 4 main types of air masses. In reality, there are many more than four. List and explain 2 other air masses.

Artic (A) This air mass is basically like the Polar ait except it is colder and has even lower dew-points.

Highland (H) This air mass can promote dryness of the highland climate.