🔍 Key Concepts

• Isobars (lines of equal pressure) and how they show pressure patterns on a surface weather chart • How pressure patterns typically behave within an air mass vs. along a front • What happens to the shape of isobars where there is a strong horizontal pressure gradient, such as near a front

💭 Think About

• Look at each choice and picture a surface weather chart: how would the isobars look far away from the front compared to right along the frontal boundary? • Where is the pressure gradient usually strongest: inside the uniform air mass, or at the boundary between two different air masses? How would that affect the isobar shape? • If isobars reflect changes in pressure over distance, what kind of line shape (smooth vs. bent) would you expect where conditions change rapidly over a short distance?

✅ Before You Answer

• Make sure you understand that isobars show equal pressure, not temperature or wind directly • Recall that a front is a narrow transition zone between air masses, so conditions (including pressure) can change rapidly there • Ask yourself: near the front, would the isobars more likely appear as smooth, gently curving lines or show noticeable kinks/bends where the air masses meet?