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Air Masses and Fronts
aviatrix
Topic Author
aviatrix created the topic: Air Masses and Fronts
Hi Everyone,
Im just trying to understand this phrase
"In Simplified view of global circulation, the polar front can be though of as the demarcation between the cold air and the polar cell and the warmer air of the sub-tropical cell."
I do understand that a polar front is a boundary between the polar cell and the fer ell cell according to google definitions, but I just need someone to explain it to me in more detail.
The air that circulates within the Polar Cell sinks at the pole and rises, to return before it gets too far from the pole. The air in this cell stays relatively close to the pole so it remains cold. On the other hand, the air in the mid-latitude (Ferrel) cell circulates in a band of latitude that is much further away from the pole so it remains warmer. The boundary between these two cells is the polar front. It is not static but dynamic, constantly advancing and retreating and giving rise to cold and warm fronts associated with the boundary.
