List the four basic types of air masses. Give an example of where each type could originate.?

Question

What will be the ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Air masses are grouped into five general categories according to their source region. Air masses that originate in polar latitudes are designated by the capital letter “P” (for polar); those that form in warm tropical regions are designated by the capital letter “T” (for tropical). If the source region is land, the air mass will be dry and the lowercase letter “c” (for continental) precedes the P or T. If the air mass originates over water, it will be moist—at least in the lower layers—and the lowercase letter “m” (for maritime) precedes the P or T. We can now see that polar air originating over land will be classified cP on a surface weather map, whereas tropical air originating over water will be marked as mT. In winter, an extremely cold air mass that forms over the Arctic is designated as cA continental arctic. Sometimes, however, it is difficult to distinguish between arctic and polar air masses, especially when the arctic air mass has traveled over warmer terrain.