a wierd fact?

Question

how is it that mountains are colder than valleys, when its the mountains that are closest to the sun?

Answer 1

The relative difference in distance to the sun is small.

The overriding factor would be the density of the air. Since the air is so thin the higher you go, the ability of the air to hold enthalpy would be lower. Additionally, air currents are faster the higher you go so it would be cooler due to that too.




g-day!

Answer 2

It is much colder in the near space than it is on earth. It is earths atmosphere that keeps us warm. But climb up a mountain and you will have left a portion of that warm and cozy blanket beneath you. So it is colder on top of a mountain because there is less atmosphere to retain the heat from the sun. If earth didn´t have any atmosphere at all the average temperature would be -8 degrees C (or 18 F).

Answer 3

Sunlight has very little direct effect on the temperature of the air. Sunlight does, however, heat the ground and the ground in turn heats the air.

As the air warms the average velocity of the molecules of the air travel faster. Because of this either the pressure or volume of the air must increase. (Or a combination of the two)

Because the air isn't confined (except by gravity) it expands. It is now slightly less dense than the surrounding air and begins to rise. (Just like a helium filled balloon rises because it is less dense.)

As the air rises it moves into parts of the atmosphere where the pressure is lower. So it expands further. But because the ground is no longer heating the air to conserve energy the temperature decreases.

And that is why the temperature tends to be cooler at higher elevations.

Answer 4

Because the air at the top of the mountain is thinner, so what heat comes in doesn't stay there. Think of the atmosphere as a blanket. The valley is under the blanket where it is warm. The mountain top is above or on top of the blanket, above the warmth.

And yes, heat rises, through air, but it can't rise to where there is no air, it just gets lost.

Clear Skies!

Answer 5

The difference in distance to the sun between sea level and the highest mountain top is infinitessimal (8 kilometres compared to 150 million kilometres, or about 0.0005%).
Air pressure at 8000 metres is, however only one third that at sea level. Air temperature is dependent on pressure, so the effect of a decrease in pressure is very much greater than that due to the distance from the sun. Generally, other things being equal, the temperature falls by about 5 degrees with every 1000 metres of altitude.

Answer 6

The sun is 93,000,000 miles away. The highest mountain is probably only about 2 miles high. The distance from the sun is therefore not a significant consideration. The difference in temperature is due to atmospheric effects.

Answer 7

Not really that weird. Look, deep space is closer to the sun too, than our Earth and its immediate sky area, but the temperature in outer space is subzero. The transmission of heat depends on atmosphere.

You have to remember that the earth's surface itself radiates back heat into the immediate low atmosphere. All the animals and vegetation on the planet's surface are similarly radiating out heat, and the density of the atmosphere helps to trap that heat and cause it to disperse much more slowly.

High up on a mountain, the atmosphere is much, much thinner, and the various sources of heat from the planet surface have been dispersed completely before it reaches up that high. In outer space, there is zero atmosphere, so there is zero heat.

Answer 8

Actually it is because the earth is hot, and space is cold.

You are right that you are nearer to the sun on a mountain, and that´s why it is important to have more protection against harmful UV rays.

But hot and cold are a measurement of "things".

You can´t just have hot and cold, you can only have hot things and cold things.

When you feel that it´s hot, it is mainly because the air surrounding you is hot, and it is warming you. As you go up a mountain, the air is less dense (more sparse), hence it has less capacity to warm you.

Also, the core of the earth is very hot (contains very hot material, mainly molten iron), and the further away you get from it (up a mountain), the less heating effect this will have on you.

Answer 9

It has to do with the wind and radiated heat during in the day time. Day time warm air rising upward. At night, the movement change to opposite direction. The air on the mountain slope is cooler at night, and the winds are usually stronger than valley winds.

Answer 10

High altitudes have less air pressure, and so less air in any given volume. It is the air that turns the radiation from the sun to heat and holds on to it.
The ground also captures heat, more than at lower levels, but the thin air can not hold onto it and lets it escape.