Winds and Air Masses

Wind is the horizontal movement of air. It blows from high pressure toward low pressure.

Winds

Wind	Characteristic
Trade wind	blows steadily from the tropics toward the equator
Monsoon	seasonal: in summer from the ocean to the land (humid), in winter from the land to the ocean
Sea breeze/land breeze	daily: during the day from the sea to the land, at night from the land to the sea
Foehn	a warm, dry wind descending from the mountains

• Trade wind: a steady wind, blows from the tropics toward the equator.
• Monsoon: a seasonal wind.
• Breeze: during the day from the sea to the land, at night the opposite.
• Tornadoes and typhoons are powerful vortices.
• Wind strength: Beaufort scale, 0-12 points.

Air Masses

• Types: arctic, temperate, tropical, equatorial.
• By place of origin: maritime (humid) and continental (dry).
• The boundary between air masses: a front (warm front and cold front). Clouds and precipitation occur along fronts.
• In Uzbekistan, the arrival of cold air from the north brings cold spells.
• A wind called the "Afghan" (dusty, hot) is observed blowing from the south.
• Monsoon is seasonal, breeze is daily. Both change direction; the difference is in the period.