An airmass is a large body of air with relatively uniform temperature, humidity, and lapse rate characteristics across its horizontal extent. Especially in the midlatitudes, large seasonal and daily changes of weather commonly result from alternating dominance by airmasses derived from a variety of source regions. Specific types of these airmasses, typically covering hundreds of kilometers, are also responsible for stretches of days with similar weather, such as a cold polar outbreak in winter, or a hot-humid string of days in summer. Airmass climatology generally will describe the types of airmasses found in an area, will classify them according to their temperature and moisture characteristics, and will determine their seasonal or annual frequency of occurrence. This focus on temperature and moisture characteristics contrasts with weather-typing schemes that typically concentrate on pressure patterns and circulation features.
Airmass climatology grew out of the so-called “Norwegian”...
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Schwartz, M.D., Corcoran, W.T. (2005). Airmass Climatology. In: Oliver, J.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of World Climatology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht . https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3266-8_6
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