Sun is very hot. So when you climb a mountain you are going near the sun. So why is it getting cold instead of

Answer 1

First the distance change is totally negligible. Also, unless the mountain is near the equator and you are climbing around noon, you are usually not getting closer anyway.

That said, the sun does not give much heat in the form of heat. The sun gives energy in the form of mostly visible light. That light gets absorbed by opaque object, namely the ground, which then re-emits infrared (heat) energy. So, technically, climbing a mountain gets you further from the bulk of the energy re-emitter.
But the real reason of the cool down of altitude is due to the drop in atmospheric pressure. Take a volume of air at sea level, and bring it up to altitude. Because of the lower pressure, that air will expand. But any expanding gas cools, and that explains why the air gets colder the higher you get.

Answer 2

That's a pretty good question, I've wondered that too. Thermodynamics also say that heat rises, cool air falls. I'll have to research this, I don't even know!

Ah ha, right off the bat, a good site!
From
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/env99/env054.htm:

Higher Up, the Colder
> name Dana
> status student
> age 11

> Question - Why is it colder at the top of a mountain; when it is
> closer to the
>heat from the sun?

Dear Dana-

Your question about why temperatures on mountains aren't warmer, is a good
one. But in reality, the air is not warmed directly by the sun's rays, but
by infrared, or long-wave radiation from the earth. The sun's rays strike
the earth, and are absorbed by the earth, which raises the temperature of
the earth. The earth reradiates the energy at a wavelength dependent on the
temperature of the earth. The air is able to absorb the earth radiation, and
becomes warmer. At high altitudes, as on mountain tops, strong winds keep
the air mixed, and prevent much rise in temperatures near the surface of the
mountain.

As you go up in altitude from the surface of the earth, the air cools at a
fixed rate. This is called the "lapse rate," and for unsaturated air, that
rate is about 5 deg. C. for each thousand feet of altitude. For saturated
air, the rate is about 3.5 deg.C. for each thousand feet of altitude.

Wendell Bechtold, meteorologist
Forecaster, National Weather Service
Weather Forecast Office, St. Louis, MO

=========================================================

That's pretty interesting, wouldn't you agree? I hope I helped you, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Answer 3

Your not that much closer to the sun. The sun in 93,000,000 miles away. Most mountains aren't more than a few miles high. So if your talking about the tallest mountain (Everest) you're only about 5.5 miles high. So you have increase the radiative energy you're experiencing by 93,000,005.5/93,000,000. So very small an increase it would be hard to measure except by extremely sensitive instruments.

Now, add to that the density of the air is dropping quickly, meaning the air cannot hold heat as well, you're usually up exposed the colder regions of the atmosphere, the wind speeds are usually higher (added wind chill), and there is less ability of the air to prevent dissipative radiation from cooling you (air can and does have the ability to hold in radiative heat in the same was a greenhouse does).

Answer 4

the reason it gets less warm as you ascend up a mountain or up interior the air frequently is your Altitude from the floor. This has to do with many components, some are much less air stress - so much less warmth because of the fact air molecules are farther aside, because of the fact the air molecules climb they improve and in return cool. The troposphere (closest environment layer to the earth, the place climate happens) cools at approximately 2 stages celesuis according to 1000 ft as gases deplete and function much less room to stumble upon one yet another. The Stratosphere is the subsequent layer and it keeps to be a particularly consistent temp in the time of. as quickly as you get interior the Mesosphere it may get particularly chilly -173 stages Fahrenheit, most of the warmth from the solar is replicate previous this element. next is the thermosphere, tempertures can get around 440 stages Fahrenheit while in direct solar. now and returned, no longer neccessarily around mountains, temperature inversions can take place. At this element the air easily gets cooler until achieving the inversion, then reverses and gets warmer as you climb for a definite distance interior the inversion. that's particularly do to wind. desire any of this enables!

Answer 5

Yeh, firstly the height of a mountain is negligable compared with the distance to the sun.

Secondly, you need matter to respond to heat energy, so as the air thins as you climb higher, there is less matter (air) to heat up.

Answer 6

The air is thinner, less dense and colder at higher altitudes.

Answer 7

the higher you go the less air which causes the temp. to go down

Answer 8

less attmosphere for sun to reflect off of