Final answer:
Air masses moving over a colder surface can become a different type of air mass, while those over a warmer surface can result in a temperature inversion affecting its lower levels. Temperature inversions can lead to pollution problems and impact weather patterns, as they stabilize the atmosphere and suppress convection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Air masses migrating over a colder surface can potentially modify it into another type of air mass. If it's migrating over a warmer surface, it creates an inversion only modifying its lower levels. A temperature inversion occurs when the usual decrease of air temperature with altitude is reversed, and warmer air lies over cooler air. This phenomenon can also stabilize the atmosphere and suppress convection, which may lead to weather patterns with an increase in air pollution and issues with smog closer to the ground.
Additionally, moisture movement across mountain ranges can create distinct climatic zones, with moist air rising over the windward side, cooling, and losing its moisture as precipitation. The leeward side, in contrast, gets very little precipitation and can form a rain shadow area. The transfer of heat due to convection is a significant aspect of weather patterns and precipitation distribution, which can influence various weather events, including the formation of low-pressure systems where moist air rises and clouds form.