Air Masses, Fronts, Cyclones and Anitcyclones -- Ch 10

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter the student should be able to:

identify the various air masses that regularly form over North America

describe how and why air masses modify as they travel out of their source regions

identify and distinguish among the various types of fronts and frontal weather

distinguish between warm frontal weather and cold frontal weather

explain why fronts are associated with cyclones but not with anticyclones

sketch the life cycle of a mid-latitude synoptic scale cyclone

describe the components of the conveyor belt model

explain the linkage between a surface cyclone and the westerly flow aloft

identify the principal storm tracks across North America

distinguish between cold and warm lows and cold and warm highs

describe the air mass advection associated with an anticyclone.

compare and contrast sea or lake breezes with land breezes

give the charcteristics of a chinook wind

explain the diurnal variation of winds in deserts and mountainous areas