Stationary front
Encyclopedia
A stationary front is a boundary between two different air mass
es, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other. On a weather map, this is shown by an inter-playing series of blue spikes pointing one direction and red domes pointing the other. They tend to remain essentially in the same area for extended periods of time, and waves sometimes propagate along the frontal boundary. A wide variety of weather can be found along a stationary front, but usually cloud
s, prolonged precipitation
, and storm trains are found there. Stationary fronts will either dissipate after several days or devolve into shear lines, but can change into a cold
or warm front
if conditions aloft change.
A stationary front becomes a shearline when the density contrast across the frontal boundary vanishes, usually as a result of temperature equalization, while the narrow zone of wind-shift persists for a time. This is most common over the open ocean as the temperature of the ocean surface is usually the same on both sides of the frontal boundary and modifies the air masses on either side of it to correspond to its own temperature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stationary_front
Air mass
In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adopt the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime...
es, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other. On a weather map, this is shown by an inter-playing series of blue spikes pointing one direction and red domes pointing the other. They tend to remain essentially in the same area for extended periods of time, and waves sometimes propagate along the frontal boundary. A wide variety of weather can be found along a stationary front, but usually cloud
Cloud
A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth's atmosphere are studied in the cloud physics branch of meteorology...
s, prolonged precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, and storm trains are found there. Stationary fronts will either dissipate after several days or devolve into shear lines, but can change into a cold
Cold front
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
or warm front
Warm front
A warm front is a density discontinuity located at the leading edge of a homogeneous warm air mass, and is typically located on the equator-facing edge of an isotherm gradient...
if conditions aloft change.
A stationary front becomes a shearline when the density contrast across the frontal boundary vanishes, usually as a result of temperature equalization, while the narrow zone of wind-shift persists for a time. This is most common over the open ocean as the temperature of the ocean surface is usually the same on both sides of the frontal boundary and modifies the air masses on either side of it to correspond to its own temperature.
External links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stationary_front