海拔和山脉对气候的影响

How much does the climate vary across Washington State?
::华盛顿州的气候差异有多大?

The first photo is of Olympic National Park by the Pacific Ocean. The area is wet; very, very wet. Moving eastward, you find Mt. Baker, one of the Cascades  . The  climate  on the  mountain  is very different from the climate near the ocean. It is extremely cold with abundant snowfall in winter. The third photo is of eastern Washington. Much of the land is farmed. The climate is much drier for two reasons. Can you determine what they are?
::第一张照片是太平洋边的奥运国家公园。该地区湿润,非常湿润。向东移动时,你会发现卡塞德斯之一贝克山(Mt. Baker),山上的气候与海洋附近的气候非常不同,冬季降雪量大,非常寒冷。第三张照片是华盛顿东部。大部分土地都耕种。气候干涸有两个原因。你能确定它们是什么吗?

Mountains and Climate
::山地气候和气候委员会

Did you ever hike or drive up a mountain? Did you notice that it was cooler near the top? Climate is not just different on a mountain. Just having a mountain range nearby can affect the climate.
::你曾徒步或驾车登山吗?你有没有注意到顶部附近更冷? 气候并不只是山上的气候。只要附近有山脉就可以影响气候。

Altitude and Temperature
::高度和温度

Air   falls at higher  altitudes  ( Figure   ). Why does this happen? Since air is less dense at higher altitudes, its molecules are spread farther apart than they are at  sea level . These molecules have fewer collisions, so they produce less  heat .
::空气在高空坠落( 图 ) 。 为什么会发生这种情况? 由于空气在高空密度较低,其分子会比在海平面更加分散。 这些分子的碰撞较少,因此产生的热量也较少。

Look at the mountain pictured below ( Figure   ). The peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Africa, 3° south latitude) is 6 kilometers (4 miles) above sea level. At 3°S, it’s very close to the  equator . At the bottom of the mountain, the temperature is high  year  round. How can you tell that it’s much cooler at the top?
::看看下方的山峰(图 ) 。 坦桑尼亚的乞力马扎罗山峰(非洲,南纬3°)比海平面高6公里( 4英里 ) 。 在3°S,山峰离赤道非常近。 在山底,年温是高的。 你如何知道山顶的温度更凉?

Mountains and Precipitation
::山地和降坡

Mountains can also affect  . Mountains and mountain ranges can cast a  rain shadow . As  winds  rise up the windward side of a mountain range, the air cools and precipitation falls. On the other side of the range, the leeward side, the air is dry, and it sinks. So there is very little precipitation on the leeward side of a mountain range. The figure below shows how this happens ( Figure   ).
::山岳也可以影响山岳。山岳和山脉可以投下雨的阴影。当风向向山岳向风边升起时,空气会降温,降水会降下来。在山脉的另一侧,向风边,空气会向上,空气会干燥,会沉没。因此,山脉向下边的降水量很少。下图显示了这种情况是如何发生的(图 )。

Summary
::摘要

• Where air is denser, the air temperature is higher.
  ::空气密度越高,空气温度就越高。

• Rainshadow effect occurs on the leeward side of a mountain range.
  ::在山脉向上倾斜的一侧发生雨沙效应。

• Maritime air may become stuck on the windward side of a mountain range. For this reason it is unable to bring cooler air farther inland.
  ::海洋空气可能会被困在山脉的向风边,因此无法向内陆带来更冷却的空气。

Review
 ::回顾

1. Why does an increase in altitude cause a change in temperature?
   ::为什么高度升高导致温度变化?

1. What is rain shadow effect?
   ::什么是雨影效应?

1. What are the two ways that a mountain range can affect climate?
   ::山脉能够影响气候的两种方式是什么?

Explore More
::探索更多

Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

1. What does wind do as it goes up and over a mountain range?
   ::风在山上和山上做什么?

1. What is the climate on the windward side of a mountain range like?
   ::山脉向风边的气候是怎样的?

1. What is the climate on the leeward side of a mountain like?
   ::山上向外的气候是怎样的?

1. What are rain shadow deserts?
   ::什么是雨影沙漠?

1. What are the characteristics (wind, precipitation, vegetation) seen on the windward side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains?
   ::内华达山脉向风边的特征(风、降水、植被)是什么?

1. What are the characteristics (wind, precipitation, vegetation) seen on the leeward side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains?
   ::内华达山脉向外的一面有哪些特征(风、降水、植被)?