Beginning in the 1950s, Fred Sanders conducted a number of pioneering studies of surface fronts and the frontogenesis process using both special mesoscale datasets and routine conventional observations. One important and lasting hallmark of Fred's studies was the artful way he mined and analyzed the observations to extract the maximum amount of information content from his resulting synoptic and mesoscale analyses. The analysis methods that Fred pioneered and his appreciation and eye for the data have inspired a generation of students to learn more about atmospheric fronts.

The purpose of this talk will be to review the state of our knowledge of the physical and physiographic processes that contribute to coastal frontogenesis, cold air damming, and the formation of cool-season fronts over sloping terrain adjacent to the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The review will also include an assessment of how environmental factors govern the life cycles of these fronts, how they are modulated by local and regional features, and how they contribute to important mesoscale weather variability. Finally, an attempt will be made to assess where new scientific contributions and opportunities might add to our existing knowledge of synoptic and mesoscale surface frontal phenomena as originally inspired by Fred Sanders.