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Meteorology

3.7 Air masses (Meteorologi 4 - 2 videoer)

An air mass refers to an area in the atmosphere that extends over thousands of

square kilometers and has fairly uniform temperature and humidity. This

typically results in the same weather conditions over a very large area.

When such an air mass moves toward, for example, Denmark, it comes from a

formation area.

The formation area is a place where the air has had the opportunity to remain

still for a while and become uniform like the surface it rests upon. This means

that if the surface is cold, the air mass will also be cold. Or if the surface is the

sea, the air mass will become moist.

Here is a typical winter position.

Cold maritime and continental air
masses in the north, and warm

maritime air masses close to the

equator.

Here is a typical summer position.
Warm maritime and continental

air masses move from the warm

south to the north, making it

warmer in the north.

3.7.1 Types of air masses

There are five different types of air masses:

- Maritime polar air

- Continental polar air

- Maritime tropical air

- Continental tropical air

- Arctic air

Flight Theory PPL(A)(UL)/LAPL Henning Andersen, Midtjysk Flyveskole© 2025 297