Anticyclone

Name for a system of high pressure.

Small pressure gradient light winds

Classed as COLD or WARM
Can be Permanent or Semi-permanent.


Formation of Anticyclone
Cold Anticyclone
Air mass is cooled by
the land the cold air
has a greater density
than warm air
= high pressure
Warm anticyclone
Larger than normal
amounts of warm air
over an area
(subsidence in the
horse latitudes)
Subsidence
Air Masses
Air masses are large bodies of air which
have the same characteristics throughout.

The air must remain over an area for
several days.

The ideal conditions will be found where
there is a permanent anticyclone.
Description of air masses
Air masses are either warm or cold
Source region
Polar or tropical.
Air masses either form at sea or land
Sea Maritime
Land - Continental


Qu. What is an air mass?
An air mass is a large body of air with
similar temperature and/or humidity.

Qu. Where do air masses form.
They form in stable source regions such
as the sub tropics or near the poles.
Source regions of Air Masses
Permanent
anticyclone
Azores
Sahara
Greenland
Siberia
Arctic
Air mass (name)

Tropical Maritime
Tropical Continental
Polar Maritime
Polar Continental
Arctic
Air Mass Characteristics
Cold & Moist Arctic Maritime
Cold & dry Polar Continental (Pc)
Cool & moist Polar Maritime (Pm)
Warm & dry Tropical Continental
(Tc)
Mild & moist Tropical Maritime (Tm)


Tropical maritime (Tm)
Source region
Azores (Caribbean)
Cooled by the sea
Stable
Little or no moisture
lost
Coasts sea fog
Weather south west
dull, warm ocast.



Tropical
Continental
Tropical continental (Tc)
Source region Sahara
(North Africa)
Cooled from below
Stable (Un?)
Dry air mass
Heat wave in Summer
Usually good vis
(haze? Pollution)




Polar Maritime (Pm)
Most common
Source region
Greenland
Warmed by the sea
unstable
Showers on West
coast



Polar
Continental

Polar Continental (Pc)
Source region Siberia
Reaches UK with NE or E
winds.
High pressure North of
UK
Mainly wintertime
May pick up moisture
(track?)
Perhaps clouds
Vis varies

Arctic
Maritime
Arctic (A)
Source region Arctic
Basin
Winter/spring
Sea passage aka Am
Showers of snow and
hail
Scotland
Windward coasts
N.Sea.
Cold!


Returning Polar Maritime
Source region
Greenland but travels
south before turning
North towards the UK
Cold air mass which is
warmed heading south
and cooled heading north
leads to a wide variety
of weather
Stratus cloud hill fog or
Cb clouds and showers


Problems w / air masses?
a) No universal agreement on air mass
classification
Major differences from continent to continent
b) Concept developed wrt surface data
alone
c) Conditions rarely uniform in source
regions
d) Pptn related more to dynamics of the
atmosphere (stability, convergence)
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Tc
Pm
Pc
A
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Azores
Tc
Sahara
Pm
Greenland
Pc
Siberia
A
Arctic
Ocean
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Azores High
Tc
Sahara Very
High
Pm
Greenland Low /
High
Pc
Siberia Very
Low
A
Arctic
Ocean
Very
Low
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Azores High High
Tc
Sahara Very
High
Low
Pm
Greenland Low /
High
Medium
Pc
Siberia Very
Low
Low
A
Arctic
Ocean
Very
Low
Low
Medium
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Azores High High Covered
with St
Tc
Sahara Very
High
Low Clear
Pm
Greenland Low /
High
Medium Cu
Pc
Siberia Very
Low
Low St?
(turb)
A
Arctic
Ocean
Very
Low
Low
Medium
Cu
Characteristics of air masses
reaching the UK
Air
Mass
Source Temp. RH Sky
Air
Condition
Tm
Azores High High Covered
with St
Stable
Tc
Sahara Very
High
Low Clear Stable
Pm
Greenland Low /
High
Medium Cu
Unstable
Pc
Siberia Very
Low
Low St?
(turb)
Stable
A
Arctic
Ocean
Very
Low
Low
Medium
Cu
Unstable