1 / 33

Mountain climate

Mountain climate. Mountain Geography, term A, 2007. Major climatic controls. ALTITUDE LATITUDE CONTINENTALITY TOPOGRAPHY. Climate factors/elements. Pressure, oxygen, water vapour Temperature Precipitation Winds Radiation clouds. 3. CONTINENTALITY. 4. TOPOGRAPHY. Barrier effects

Sophia
Download Presentation

Mountain climate

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mountain climate Mountain Geography, term A, 2007

  2. Major climatic controls • ALTITUDE • LATITUDE • CONTINENTALITY • TOPOGRAPHY

  3. Climate factors/elements • Pressure, oxygen, water vapour • Temperature • Precipitation • Winds • Radiation • clouds

  4. 3. CONTINENTALITY

  5. 4. TOPOGRAPHY • Barrier effects • DAMMING • DEFLECTION • BLOCKING • Depends on topography (mtn. range vs. isolated peak)

  6. Pressure

  7. Temperature • a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in that substance.  • how fast the air molecules are moving.

  8. Effect of altitude on temperature

  9. Wind • Wind results from a horizontal difference in air pressure • sun heats different parts of the Earth differently, causing pressure differences • Sun is the driving force for most winds.

  10. Wind direction Winds are directed towards low pressure, which results in: Lifting of air "Bad" Weather Winds are directed away from high pressure, which results in: Sinking of air "Good" Weather

  11. Types of winds • Large-scale • Standing waves • roters • Regional scale • Chinook winds; • Monsoon winds • Small scale: • Slope winds • Mountain/Valley winds • Glacier wind

  12. Large-scale standing waves

  13. Rotor clouds

  14. Lenticular clouds

  15. Orographic precipitation • occurs where mountains and hills force moist air to rise

  16. Chinook winds Warm, dry winds coming off the leeward side of the mountains Explain why they occur Also called Foehn (Germany); Mistral (French Alps) Santa Ana (California)

  17. Monsoon winds warmer • regional scale wind systems • created by the temperature contrasts between land and ocean • Land heats up/cools faster than oceans

  18. Direction of the monsoon

  19. Valley breeze (Anabatic) - upslope Daytime warmer LOW P Temperature inversion colder HIGH P

  20. Mountain breeze - Katabatic(downslope) Night time colder HIGH P warmer LOW P

  21. Mountain/Valley breeze OUT IN Mountain breathes IN Mountain breathes OUT

  22. Glacier winds

  23. Cloud Formation In order to make a cloud we need: • Moisture • Nuclei on which to condense (cloud condensation nuclei, or ice nuclei) • A method of cooling the air to saturation

  24. What about if the air temperature is below 0°C? • It is possible for liquid water to remain liquid below temperatures of 0°C if there are no Ice Nuclei (IN). • Liquid water below 0°C is called "supercooled" or "subcooled" water.

  25. Types of clouds

  26. Need: Plenty of moisture. A mass of warm unstable air. A source of energy to lift the warm, moist air mass rapidly upward.

  27. Cumulo-nimbus clouds

  28. Home exercise (X-credit): • Watch for clouds over the Boulder area • Take a picture, identify the clouds • Write about how the clouds was formed • Submit to Abby

  29. Composition of Solar Radiation

More Related