36. Meteorology 5/7: Air Masses & Fronts

We define seasonal winds, such as the monsoons, and discuss periodic winds, such as sea breezes, land breezes, mountain breezes, and valley breezes. We also discuss what the terms "anabatic winds," "katabatic winds," and "rain shadow effect" mean.

We continue our conversation on meteorology by discussing how clouds are formed, the different types of clouds, lapse rate, how fog is formed, and the different types of fog.

We discuss global air circulation in Hadley Cells, Ferrel Cells, and Polar Cells; jet streams; how and why the directions of global winds vary; and how global air circulation influences regional climates. We also enjoy a brief detour discussing the effects of global wind on world history!

We discuss atmospheric composition, the layers of the atmosphere, and basic weather theory: Unequal heating of the Earth's surface leads to different densities of air. Different temperatures and densities lead to rising and sinking air, or high and low pressure areas. The highs and lows lead to convection. Convection is influenced by the Coriolis Force. The airflows are further influenced by friction.

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