Final answer:
Air masses primarily acquire their temperature and moisture from the Earth's surface, influenced by the sun's energy and modified by the oceans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Air masses acquire their temperature and moisture properties primarily from the Earth's surface. This happens because sunlight heats the surface, which then warms the air above it. This process is called convection and occurs primarily in the troposphere, the lowermost layer of the atmosphere. Here, the warm air heated by the surface rises, and cooler air descends to replace it, creating what we recognize as weather patterns.
Furthermore, the atmosphere's interaction with the sun's energy is a crucial factor in the formation of these weather patterns. The differential heating of the Earth's surface by the sun leads to large masses of warm air, which redistributes heat across different areas, leading to atmospheric circulation or weather.
The oceans also play an integral role in this process by absorbing heat, which affects nearby air masses and contributes to the overall climate systems.