1. Air Masses and Fronts
S6E4. Students will understand how the distribution of land and oceans affects climate and weather.
b. Relate unequal heating of land and water surfaces to form large global wind systems and weather events such as tornados and thunderstorms.

2. What is an air mass?
A large body of air where temperature and moisture content are constant throughout

3. Air masses in the U.S. Continental polar (cP)= dry and cold
Continental tropical (cT)= dry and warm
Maritime polar (mP)= wet and cold
Maritime tropical (mT)= wet and warm

4. Air masses in different locations

5. What is a front? A front is the boundary between air masses
Has different densities (heaviness)
Has different temperatures (hot or cold)

6. Types of Fronts
Cold- cold air collides with warm air, and warm air is pushed up (heavy rain, snow)
Warm- warm air moves over cold air (drizzly rain, warm weather)
Occluded-warm air is between 2 cold air masses (heavy rain, snow)
Stationary – a cold air meets warm air and the two air masses remain separated (cloudy, wet weather)

7. Front Symbols

8. With a partner, come up with a connection for the following words:
Your Turn
With a partner, come up with a connection for the following words:
Air Pressure Metamorphic rock
Then use two words to create your own connection to terms we have discussed throughout the year.

9. Closing- Correctly label the different type of air masses on the map below: