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12-1 Causes of Wx
12-1 Causes of Weather
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Meteorology | The study of atmospheric phenomena |
Weather | Short-tern variations in atmospheric phenomena that interact and affect the environment and life |
Climate | Long-term average of variations in weather for a particular area |
Q&A: Why is the Earth's surface heated unevenly? | Sunlight heats some portions of the surface. The Earth's axis is tilted. |
Q&A: What is an air mass? | Air masses are large volumes of air with the same characteristics as its source region, the area over their formation. |
Q&A: What does the source region have to do with the air mass over it? | The source regions have air masses that influence weather. |
Tropical Air Masses | Hot and humid weather in the summer at the eastern two-thirds of North America |
Continental Polar Air Masses | They form over Canada and Alaska Bringing relief from hot and humid weather in the summer |
Continental Tropical Air Masses | They form over southwestern United States and Mexico. Warm and dry in the winter, hot and dry in the summer |
Maritime Polar Air Masses | They form over the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans. Mild and humid year-long |
Maritime Tropical Air Masses | They form over the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, tropical and subtropical Atlantic, and the Pacific. Warm and humid in the winter, hot and humid in the summer |
Arctic Air Masses | They form over Siberia and the Arctic Basin. Bitter cold and dry in the winter, cold and dry in the summer |