Tropical Maritime air mass originates in the ___.

• A. Arctic Ocean
• B. Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea
• C. Pacific Ocean
• D. Indian Ocean

Answer: (B)

Tropical Maritime air masses form over warm tropical seas, so they are warm and very humid. The Gulf of Guinea sits in the tropical Atlantic where sea-surface temperatures are high, creating moist, rising air that defines this air mass. That makes the Atlantic Ocean, specifically the Gulf of Guinea region, the typical source area for Tropical Maritime air masses in this context.

Arctic Ocean is a polar region, so it produces cold, dry air rather than warm, moist air. The Pacific and Indian Oceans do have tropical waters too, but in this question the standard source region identified for Tropical Maritime air masses is the Atlantic near the Gulf of Guinea.