Air Masses:

Type, Modification, and

Associated weather
ENVI1400: Lecture 5
 Air Masses
A body of air with more-or-less Input of heat and moisture to
uniform physical properties over atmosphere is non-uniform.
horizontal distances of hundreds Creation of a uniform air mass
of kilometres achieved via:
• Temperature – Mixing
• Moisture content – Radiative processes
• lapse rate – Time (3 – 7 days)
Source regions: areas of
Properties and degree of extensive uniform surface
uniformity depend on: conditions situated below quasi-
• Source of the air stationary high pressure systems.
• History – air mass In low latitudes there are few
modification strong temperature gradients; air
• Age of air mass masses distinguished by moisture
content – more difficult to
interpret.

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Air Mass Modification Processes
Thermodynamic Dynamic
• Surface heating/cooling • Turbulent mixing
– Change of temperature of – Increases uniformity of air
surface, or advection over mass. Very efficient close to
different surface surface.
• Addition of moisture • Large-scale lifting/descent
– Surface evaporation – Causes adiabatic changes of
– Evaporation of precipitation temperature
falling from higher level – May result in formation or
• Loss of moisture evaporation of clouds
– Condensation, precipitation
• Radiative heating/cooling
– slow compared to surface
heat exchange (up to 2
weeks)
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 Air Mass Characterization
Air masses are classified Also:
according to how they compare to
the properties of the underlying • Arctic (A)
surface and of adjacent air – very cold
masses. – Frequently indistinguishable
4 (sometimes 5) basic from polar air masses in
classifications – combine source lower levels
region and surface type: – Originates over polar
• Maritime/marine (m) icecaps rather than high
latitude land masses.
– high moisture content
• Continental (c)
– typically low moisture Some classification schemes
• Tropical (T) include indication of whether air is
warmer (w) or cooler (k) than
– warm underlying surface after air mass
• Polar (P) modification has taken place; e.g.
– cold cPk, mPw.

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Continental Polar (cP)
Origin: continental anticyclones Subsidence of air aloft (and
over Siberia and northern Canada associated adiabatic warming)
during winter; Arctic basin (cA) combined with radiative cooling at
when high pressure dominant. low levels  pronounced
No sources of cP in southern inversion from surface to about
hemisphere. Antarctica is a 850 mb (~1 km).
source of cA all year round. Low humidity results in generally
Snow covered surface  cooling low cloud amounts.
of surface layers, equilibrium
vapour pressure is low  low
Solar heating of land surface in
moisture content (0.1 to 0.5 g/kg).
summer removes source of cold
Cooling at surface  stable air.
stratification, limited mixing;
allows further cooling by radiation
resulting in very low
temperatures.

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 H Continental Polar (cP)
Source: Siberia, very cold
in winter, hot and dry in
summer.
Summer: Warm & dry,
cloud free, except perhaps
at east coast where cool &
showery.
Track: overland,
short track over Winter: Snow near east
North Sea coast; occasional snow
showers in west. Very cold
& strong easterly winds

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Maritime Polar (mP)
Origin: In northern hemisphere
mP results primarily from
modification of cP by flow over
oceans: Siberia flowing over north
Pacific, northern Canada &
Greenland flowing over north
Atlantic.
In summer the Arctic icecap –
significant areas of melt water,
and open leads in ice, provide
effective water surface.
In southern hemisphere: oceans
surrounding Antarctica.
In winter modified cA provides
colder mP than modified cP.
Cool and moist, extensive cloud
cover.
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During initial flow over water, cP
is warmed and moistened. High
surface heat and moisture fluxes
 instability and strong
convection; flow is very turbulent,
increasing amounts of cumulus
form, often in streets aligned with
wind.
Downwind, large cumulus
organised in first closed, then
open cells. Air mass now cool,
moist mP, extensive cloud cover.
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 Maritime Polar (mP)
Source: North Canada &
L Greenland. Very cold.
Summer: Heavy showers,
thunderstorms over high
ground.
Winter: Heavy showers in
Track: cool, moist, north-west; clear skies in
unstable east at night giving frost.
Dry in lee of mountains.

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Returning Polar Maritime
Source: North Canada.
Very cold and dry
Summer: Very warm,
stratus clouds in south­west,
squally showers & storms L
inland.
Winter: stratus cloud,
showers over high ground,
particularly in west.

Track: warmer & wetter

than mP

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Arctic Maritime (mA)
Source: Arctic seas / ice­
Track: short; warm & moist
at surface, cold aloft; unstable
L
cap. Very cold.
Summer: Cold, frequent
heavy showers.
Winter: Very cold; strong
winds from north and north­
west. Heavy snow showers,
particularly in north and
coastal areas. Cold & bright
in lake district and South
Wales in lee of mountains
to north.

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Maritime Tropical (mT)
Origin: Oceanic subtropical high
pressure cells – mid Atlantic
(Azores High), much of pacific.
50% of southern hemisphere is a
source of mT.
High temperatures, and high
humidity in lower layers. Stable or
near neutral stratification.
Advection fog, Golden Gate Bridge
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Modification of warm air is usually
slow.
Cooling from surface as air
moves to higher latitudes results
in formation of advection fog. If
wind speed is high, mechanical
mixing produces a deeper
boundary layer (few hundred
metres) and low stratiform cloud
forms – stratus or stratocumulus.
Forced ascent at land can result
in thick cloud and heavy rain.
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Maritime Tropical (mT)
Source: warm tropical
oceans
L
Summer: South­west winds;
warm & sunny inland. Low
stratus clouds round west
coast.
Winter: Stratus clouds/hill
fog/drizzle clearing to the
north­east. Warm, muggy,
with prolonged rainfall in
westerly mountains.

Track: moist at surface

H
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Continental Tropical (cT)
Origin: Continental parts of Modification during transit over
subtropical high pressure cells water (e.g. from N. Africa moving
(e.g. north Africa) or regions of over Mediterranean into Europe):
generally light, variable winds & picks up lots of water vapour,
subsidence in upper troposphere lowering the density of humidified
over major landmasses during air and triggering strong
summer (e.g. central Asia). convection. Large cumulus and
Strong solar heating of land mass thunderstorms form.
results in unstable stratification
and strong convection. Low
humidity coupled with subsidence
means limits cloud development
and preciptitation.
In the northern hemisphere
winter, north Africa is the only
source of cT.

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Continental Tropical (cT)
Source: North Africa – hot
and dry.
Summer only: Heat­wave
weather, hazy with
occasional thunderstorm.

Track: overland with

short sea track

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 Summary
• “Air masses” are large regions of air with
distinct properties
• Originate in high-pressure regions, and
move towards low pressure
• Modified by changes in surface properties,
and radiative warming/cooling
• Associated with different general weather
conditions over UK

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