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Weather
Air Masses
• Differences in air pressure are caused by unequal heating of Earth’s surface–creates wind
patterns–Deflects in a curved
path because of the Coriolis effect
Review
• Along the surface, air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure– Poles to Equator
• At high altitudes, air moves from the equator to the poles
•When air is stationary, or moves slowly, the air takes on the temperature and humidity of a region
Target #9- I can describe how air masses form
• Air Mass: a large body of air throughout which temperature and moisture content are similar
Target #10- I can define air mass
Target #11- I can describe how air masses are classified
• Air masses are classified according to their source regions–Source region: determine temperature and humidity of an air mass• Polar areas produce cold and dry air masses• Tropical areas produce warm moist air masses
• Continental: air masses that form over land–Form over large
land masses–Low humidity–Brings dry weather– Continental Polar- cold
and dry• Symbol: cP
– Continental tropical- warm and dry• Symbol: cT
Target #12 I can differentiate between continental and maritime air masses
• Maritime: air masses that form over oceans– Form over large bodies of
water– Higher humidity than
continental air– Commonly bring
precipitation when travelling over land
– Maritime polar- moist and cold• Symbol mP
– Maritime tropical- moist and warm• Symbol mT
Target #13- I can identify North American air masses on a map
• North American Air Masses– Continental Tropical
• Form in the southwestern U.S.• Brings hot, dry weather
– Maritime Tropical• Form over the Atlantic Ocean• Brings humid weather to eastern U.S.
– Continental Polar• Form in Canada• Bring cool dry weather to northern U.S.
– Maritime Polar• Forms in northern Pacific & Atlantic Oceans• Brings rain, snow, and fog to the Pacific Northwest and
New England
• New Jersey is about halfway between the equator and the North Pole–Geographic location results in highly variable daily weather
Target #14- I can summarize how the air masses over New England influence New Jersey weather
• The Garden State is 166 miles long, and is 65 miles at its widest point– There is a marked
difference in climate between Wildwood and Ocean City in the south and High Point and Stokes State Forest in the north
• The prevailing winds in NJ travel west to east– A part of the westerlies
wind belt– Can shift north or south
which influences the weather• If shifting south,
continental polar air brings colder temperatures with potential for snow
• If shifting north, maritime tropical air bring hot humid weather and potential for rain
• In northern NJ:– Average annual precipitation: ~51in– Snowfall season: Oct to April– Precipitation comes from storms coming
from the Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, and from southern Canada.
– The mountains also influence the formation of precipitation
– The heat retained by the city also influences the types of weather produced
Analysis Question
• How do temperature and humidity change when a maritime tropical air mass is replaced by a continental polar air mass?
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