Published on 31 Jan 2025
The term "air mass" refers to a large volume of air in the atmosphere that has similar temperature and moisture characteristics throughout its horizontal extent. These characteristics are typically influenced by the region over which the air mass forms.
The origin of an air mass is determined by the source region, which is the area where the air mass acquires its properties. There are several major source regions around the world that give rise to different types of air masses. The main source regions include:
Continental Arctic (cA): Formed over the Arctic region and is extremely cold and dry.
Continental Polar (cP): Originates over cold land areas and is cold and dry. Source regions of these are the Arctic basin, northern North America, Eurasia, and Antarctica.
Maritime Polar (mP): Forms over cold oceanic areas and is cool and humid. The source region of these is the oceans between 40° and 60° latitudes.
Continental Tropical (cT): Develops over hot and dry land regions, leading to hot and dry conditions. The source regions include tropical and subtropical deserts of the Sahara in Africa, West Asia, and Australia.
Maritime Tropical (mT): Originates over warm oceanic regions and is warm and humid. The source regions of these include the oceans in the tropics and sub-tropics such as Mexican Gulf, the Pacific, and the Atlantic oceans.
Geography
Air mass
types of air mass
General Studies Paper 1
Physical Geography
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