Air Mass

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-000857",
  "term": "Air Mass",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. A large volume of air with certain meteorological or polluted characteristics--e.g., a heat inversion or smogginess--while in one location. The characteristics can change as the air mass moves away.\n\n2. A body of air that has relatively uniform temperature and humidity based on the surface characteristics of its source region.\n\n3. A body of air covering a relatively wide area and exhibiting horizontally uniform properties.\n\n4. Large body of air, often hundreds or thousands of miles across, containing air of a similar temperature and humidity. Sometimes the differences between air masses are hardly noticeable, but if colliding air masses have very different temperatures and humidity values, storms can erupt. See front.",
  "abbreviation": "AMS",
  "subject": "Natural environments",
  "references": [
    "Terms of Environment",
    "My NASA Data Glossary",
    "NOAA National Weather Service Glossary",
    "NASA Earth Observatory Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/air-mass/"
}