HELP on why mountains can affect the climate?

Question

I need to know this for my test on monday, tell me 5 reasons why a mountain range can affect the climate


THANKS A LOT

Answer 1

When rain clouds run into the mountains, the moist air rises up the sides of mountains, cools and condenses into clouds. The clouds bring precipitation over the windward slopes of the mountains. When the air descends on the lee side of the mountains, it sinks, compresses, warms and dries out, leaving the area on the other side of the mountains dry. Mountains are one of the factors which influence climate. They very significantly affect rainfall. When wind moves over the sea, the warm moist air rises and cools to form orographic rainfall. Then the cool dry air moves over the ridge to the leeward side.

It also affects the temperature. If the sun is shining from the east, then the eastern side of the mountain will get the sun but the other side will be in shade.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 2

The lift or asdending motion of air moving across a mountain barrier produces a drop in temperature, saturation and rainfall or snow from the crest of a mountain range wesward or "windward". Thus the windward slopes of mountian ranges are some of hte wetest places on earth - the west side of the Cascades and Olympic Mountains in WA and OR for instance. Once the air has passed over a mountain range the air descents - warms due to rising pressure which means the air is no longer saturated and precipitaton does not form - the famous rain shadown downwind of a mountain rainge - the high desert areas of Oregon for instance. Winds also are diveret around major mountain barriers just as water flows around a large rock in a stream and those induced trough/ridge patters have a reflection in the formation of surface weather features since weather is largely determined by upper level features - troughs and ridges. Rising and descending motions, stationary induced troughs and ridges - all result from mountain barriers not only in the United States but anywhere winds flow across a mountain range. Turbulence, icing, mountain obscuration - all are aviation related phenomena also associated with mountain barriers. Lots of effects and mountains make the worlds weather more interesting, more varied and provide climate zones that the plants, animals including humans have had to adapt to over millions of years. Earth without mountains would still have varied weather but it'd be a duller and we'd have a less diverse ecosystem.

Answer 3

Just think about the effects the Saddleback Mountain range has the the Los Angeles basin. Smog (and heat) is held in. The winds comng in off the ocean push that smog and heat against the mountains, but not up and over. The Santa Anas blow in and there's a huge wind tunnel effect through Riverside. On the other side of that range, is the Mojave Desert, there's very little smog. All up and down the coastline, it's considered desert, but things are lush and green. You move to the other side of that mountain range, and everything is parched, dry and sandy -- as you would expect. It's all due to the mountain range.

Answer 4

Pretty much what the other people said. I have experienced this personally, since I live in, pretty much, a bowl surrounded by moutains. It is often smoggy and we get almost no rain.