Frontal Zones

the general location of the main atmospheric fronts above the earth’s surface. The frontal zones separate adjacent regions of the earth where different air masses predominate. The location of a frontal zone is caused by the position of the centers of atmospheric activity, which usually shift northward in the summer in the northern hemisphere and southward in the summer in the southern hemisphere. Several arctic and antarctic fronts (between 60° and 80°N lat. and 60° and 80°S lat.) are usually identified, as well as several polar fronts (between 40° and 60°N lat. and 60° and 80°S lat.) and the intertropical fronts (between tropical air masses with different characteristics within a single hemisphere). The zone of intertropical convergence, in its long-term average position, is also considered a frontal zone.