Air Masses and Fronts
An air mass is a large body of air that, at any one height, has a relatively steady temperature and moisture content throughout. Air masses typically cover areas ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of square miles. A front is the boundary at which two air masses of different temperature and moisture content meet. The role of air masses and fronts in the development of weather systems was first recognized by the Norwegian father and son team of Vilhelm and Jacob Bjerknes in the 1920s. These two phenomena are still studied intensively as predictors of future weather patterns.
Source regions
Air masses form when a body of air comes to rest over an area that has an unvarying topography, or consistent surface features. Deserts, plains, and...
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