Contribution to Book
Climate: Mountain
Encyclopedia of Geography
(2010)
Abstract
Climate is the fundamental factor driving the natural environment, setting the stage on which all physical, chemical, and biological processes operate. The influence of climate on environmental processes is exaggerated in mountains. Immense environmental gradients occur over short distances as a result of the diverse topography and highly variable nature of the energy and moisture fluxes in mountains. Nevertheless, predictable patterns and characteristics are found within these heterogeneous systems; for example, temperatures normally decrease with elevation, while cloudiness and precipitation increase; it is usually windier in the mountains, the air is thinner and clearer, and solar radiation is more intense.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2010
Editor
Barney Warf
Publisher
SAGE Publications
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412939591.n173
Citation Information
Andrew J. Bach. "Climate: Mountain" SingaporeEncyclopedia of Geography Vol. 1 (2010) p. 443 - 449 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/andrew-bach/2/