1. Temperature: Air masses are classified as arctic (A), polar (P), tropical (T), or equatorial (E) based on their source region's temperature. Arctic and polar air masses are cold, while tropical and equatorial air masses are warm.
2. Moisture: Air masses are further classified as maritime (m) or continental (c) based on their source region's humidity. Maritime air masses form over oceans and are moist, while continental air masses form over land and are dry.
These two properties, temperature and moisture, combine to create specific types of air masses, such as cP (continental polar), mT (maritime tropical), etc. These classifications help meteorologists understand and predict weather patterns.
