ESS5
Prof.
Jin-Yi Yu
Maritime Polar (mP)
Air Masses
q Maritime polar air masses form over upper latitude oceanic regions and are cool and moist.
qmP air masses form over
high-latitude ocean as cP air masses
move out from the interior of
continents. (I.e., cP à mP).
qOceans add heat and
moisture into the dry and cold cP air
masses.
qAlong the west coast of
the U.S., mP air affects regions during
winter and may be present before
mid-latitude cyclones advect over the
continent.
qAlong the east coast,
mP air typically affects regions after
cyclone passage as the mP air wraps around
the area of low pressure
