The air box is sealed and sucks air from behind the wheelwell liner and the filter is mounted in the engine bay(cooler air but limited flow).
Short intakes suck air from the engine bay(better air flow but hotter air).
Cold air intakes have the filter mounted behind the wheel well liner(good flow and colder air) but can suck in water if driven tough a large puddle.

A safe idea is to run a short intake(air filter mounted in the engine bay) with a hose to supply cooler air from outside the engine bay(fender or fnt. bumper).

Hope this helps.