Structure of Depression

An air mass is a large volume of air in the atmosphere that is

mostly uniform in temperature and moisture. Air masses can extend
thousands of kilometers across the surface of the Earth, and can reach
from ground level to the stratosphere 16 kilometers (10 miles) into the
atmosphere.
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Structure of Depression

Air masses form over large surfaces with uniform temperatures

and humidity, called source regions. Low wind speeds let air
remain stationary long enough to take on the features of the source
region, such as heat or cold.

When winds move air masses, they carry their weather conditions

(heat or cold, dry or moist) from the source region to a new region.
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Air masses are classified according to their temperature
and moisture characteristics. They are grouped into
four categories based on their source region.

cP: cold, dry air mass

mP: cold, moist air mass

cT: warm, dry air mass

mT: warm, moist air mass

cA: extreme cold, moist air mass

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Continental Arctic (cA): This air mass is characterized by extremely cold
temperatures and contains very little moisture. These air masses form north of (or very
near) the Arctic Circle and poleward.

Maritime Tropical (mT): Being from a source region in the Tropics and over water, this air
mass is characterized by hot, humid conditions.

Continental Tropical (Ct)  : These are the hot, dry air massesThe leading edge of this air
mass is often called the dry line where it encounters the maritime tropical air mass, (to
the east), 
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Maritime Polar (mP): Maritime Polar may be considered

the cool, moist air mass which affects the United States. The source
region for these air masses are the northern Pacific and the north-
western Atlantic. Because they carry an abundance of moisture, they
usually produce clouds and precipitation as they move inland and are
forced upward by the rising land.
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Continental Polar (cP): These air masses bring cold air during the
winter and cool, relatively clear, rather pleasant weather in the
summer. The air mass is stable and usually prevents cloud formation.
It also can develop inversions which inhibits vertical motion and may
cause high pollution events, especially near and downwind of large
industrial areas.
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Structure of Depression
Cold Front
The cold air behind the front undercuts the warm air of the warm
sector, causing the less dense warm air to rise.
Warm Front
When the air in the warm sector of the depression meets the denser,
cold air on the frontal boundary, the warm air overrides it; extensive
cloud and precipitation covering a wide area result as the warm air
ascends.
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COLD FRONT:
Pressure reaches minimum
and then begins rising
Temperature drops quickly
Wind increase in speed often
gusty Direction begins
shifting
Overcast
Visibility drops quickly to very
poor in showers
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WARM FRONT:
Pressure reaches minimum
and then remains steady
Temperature warms steadily
Wind Direction varies Speed
may increase as front passes
Usually overcast conditions
with predominantly stratus
and nimbostratus type
clouds
Visibility poor but slowly
improving as front passes
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Structure of Depression

Depression (also referred to as a 'low'), air is rising. As it rises and cools,

water vapour condenses to form clouds and perhaps precipitation.

Consequently, the weather in a depression is often cloudy, wet and windy

(with winds blowing in an anticlockwise direction around the depression).
There are usually frontal systems associated with depressions.
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Structure of Depression

Before we have considered the formation of a wave-like disturbance, along

a small section of a front. But sometimes with each out break of an air mass
develops a series of waves along the front and each wave forms its own
wavelike disturbance.

So from two or three to five depressions can form along a particular front.
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Structure of Depression

The initial depression is called primary and others are called secondary
depression. These secondary depressions sometimes grow very quickly
into intense low with almost same characteristics as primary low.

Primary along with another or a series of secondary depressions is

termed as Family of depression.
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Structure of Depression
In the Northern Hemisphere,
winds circulate around a
depression in a anticlockwise
direction
In the Southern Hemisphere,
winds circulate around a
depression in a clockwise direction
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FAMILY OF DEPRESSION
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FAMILY OF DEPRESSION
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Depression
on the
DEPRESSION weather
map
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Occluded Front
An occluded front is formed during
the process of cyclogenesis when
a cold front overtakes warm front. 
Normally cold fronts move faster than
warm fronts, they can catch up to and
overtake their related warm front.
When they do, an occluded front is
formed.
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A trough is an elongated region

of relatively low atmospheric
pressure, often associated
with fronts.
Strong troughs are typically
preceded by stormy weather
and colder air at the surface
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Anticyclones and other Pressure Systems

ANTICYCLONES
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon in which there is a
descending movement of the air and a relative increase in barometric
pressure over the part of the earth's surface affected by it.
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High-pressure centers
are associated with the
letter H in English,
within the isobar with
the highest pressure
value.
HIGH PRESSURE On constant-pressure
CENTRES upper-level charts,
anticyclones are located
within the highest
height line contour.
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In the northern hemisphere

an anticyclone rotates in
the clockwise direction, while
it rotates counterclockwise in
the southern hemisphere.

ANTICYCLONE AT NORTHERN ANTICYCLONE AT SOUTHERN

HEMISPERE HEMISPERE
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A ridge is an elongated
region of relatively high
atmospheric pressure,
the opposite of a trough.
In hydrologic terms, a line
or wall of broken ice
forced up by pressure. 
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A col is the intersection

between two high and two
low pressure systems. This
creates an area of neutral
air where there is no fixed
weather.