GE 141 – Module 4 Transient and Atmospheric Disturbances
Air Masses is a large parcel of air that has relatively uniform properties in the horizontal dimension and moves as an entity.
Air masses form over large areas of the surface of the Earth that have similar characteristics – refer to them as source regions – ocean, a large forest, a desert, or open grasslands.
Characteristics of warm fronts
- Forms by advancing warm air
- Slope is gentle, ascends over treating cool air, decreasing adiabatically as the air rises
- Clouds form slowly and not much turbulence (High cirrus clouds, moving towards a altocumulus or altostratus clouds.
- Broad precipitation, prolonged and gentle
- If unstable air, precipitation can be showery or violent.
Characteristics of hurricanes
- Prominent low-pressure centers that are essentially circular with steep pressure gradient outward from the center
- Converging cyclonic wind pattern “fuel” that powers the storm
- Warm, water vapor-laden air spirals into a storm
- Intense updrafts within towering cumulonimbus clouds
GE 141 – Module 4 Transient and Atmospheric Disturbances
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