Final answer:
Option A: The air to the south of a stationary front typically has higher water vapor content due to higher temperatures and greater humidity levels in southern regions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is comparing the temperatures and dewpoints at Nashville, TN, with those of Lexington, KY, stations separated by a stationary front. To determine the air's water vapor content, we need to consider the relationship between temperature and humidity. Generally, warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air, so if Nashville has a higher temperature compared to Lexington, we would expect it to have a higher water vapor content as well. Therefore, the answer is (a) Higher in.
The air to the south of the stationary front was higher in water vapor content. This is because air masses located to the south of a stationary front typically originate from warmer regions, where the air tends to have a higher capacity to hold moisture. The temperatures in these southern regions are generally higher, leading to greater evaporation rates and higher humidity levels. As a result, the air contains more water vapor compared to the air on the northern side of the stationary front, which is usually cooler and can hold less moisture. This concept reflects the relationship between temperature, humidity, and dewpoint, with higher temperatures being associated with greater water vapor content in the air.