# Alpine climate

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alpine_climate
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alpine_climate.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_climate
> Source revision: 1320848610
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Typical weather for regions above the tree line}}
{{For|the climate of the mountains named the "Alps"|Climate of the Alps}}
[[File:White Mountain CA.JPG|right|thumb|[White Mountain](/source/White_Mountain_Peak), an alpine environment at {{convert|4300|m|ft|-3}} [above sea level](/source/above_sea_level) in [California](/source/California)]]

'''Alpine climate''' is the typical [climate](/source/climate) for elevations above the [tree line](/source/tree_line), where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a '''mountain climate''' or '''highland climate'''.

==Definition==

There are multiple definitions of alpine climate.

In the [Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification), the alpine and mountain climates are part of group ''E'', along with the [polar climate](/source/polar_climate), where no month has a mean [temperature](/source/temperature) higher than {{convert|10|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite book | last1=McKnight | first1=Tom L | last2=Hess | first2=Darrel | year=2000 | chapter=Climate Zones and Types: The Köppen System | title=Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation | pages=[https://archive.org/details/physicalgeographmckn/page/235 235–7] | location=Upper Saddle River, New Jersey | publisher=Prentice Hall | isbn=978-0-13-020263-5 | chapter-url-access=registration | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/physicalgeographmckn | url=https://archive.org/details/physicalgeographmckn/page/235 }}</ref>

According to the [Holdridge life zone](/source/Holdridge_life_zone) system, there are two mountain climates which prevent tree growth :

a) the alpine climate,
which occurs when the mean [biotemperature](/source/biotemperature) of a location is between {{convert|1.5|and|3|C|F}}. The alpine climate in Holdridge system is roughly equivalent to the warmest [tundra](/source/tundra) climates (ET) in the Köppen system.

b) the alvar climate, the coldest mountain climate since the biotemperature is between 0&nbsp;°C and 1.5&nbsp;°C (biotemperature can never be below 0&nbsp;°C). It corresponds more or less to the coldest tundra climates and to the [ice cap climate](/source/ice_cap_climate)s (EF) as well.

Holdrige reasoned that plants net primary productivity ceases with plants becoming dormant at temperatures below {{convert|0|C|F}} and above {{convert|30|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lugo|first1=A. E.|title=The Holdridge life zones of the conterminous United States in relation to ecosystem mapping|journal=Journal of Biogeography|date=1999|volume=26|issue=5|pages=1025–1038|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227649905|access-date=27 May 2015|doi=10.1046/j.1365-2699.1999.00329.x|bibcode=1999JBiog..26.1025L |s2cid=11733879 }}</ref> Therefore, he defined biotemperature as the mean of all temperatures but with all temperatures below freezing and above 30&nbsp;°C adjusted to 0&nbsp;°C; that is, the sum of temperatures not adjusted is divided by the number of all temperatures (including both adjusted and non-adjusted ones).

The variability of the alpine climate throughout the year depends on the latitude of the location. For tropical oceanic locations, such as the summit of [Mauna Loa](/source/Mauna_Loa), the temperature is roughly constant throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web|work=MAUNA LOA SLOPE OBS, HAWAII|title=Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?himaun|publisher=NOAA|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> For mid-latitude locations, such as [Mount Washington](/source/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)) in [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire), the temperature varies seasonally, but never gets very warm.<ref name=NCDCtxt>{{cite web |title=Station Name: NH MT WASHINGTON |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00014755.normals.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525074713/ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00014755.normals.txt |archive-date=2017-05-25 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 June 2014}}</ref><ref name = NOAAsun >{{cite web |title=WMO Climate Normals for MOUNT WASHINGTON, NH 1961–1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72613.TXT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525074713/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72613.TXT |archive-date=2017-05-25 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 June 2014}}</ref>

==Cause==
The temperature profile of the atmosphere is a result of an interaction between [radiation](/source/radiation) and [convection](/source/convection). Sunlight in the [visible spectrum](/source/visible_spectrum) hits the ground and heats it. The ground then heats the air at the surface. If [radiation](/source/radiation) were the only way to transfer heat from the ground to space, the [greenhouse effect](/source/greenhouse_effect) of gases in the atmosphere would keep the ground at roughly {{convert|333|K|C F}}, and the temperature would decay exponentially with height.<ref name=goodywilson>{{cite book|first1=Richard M.|last1=Goody|first2=James C.G.|last2=Walker|title=Atmospheres|chapter=Atmospheric Temperatures|chapter-url=http://lasp.colorado.edu/~bagenal/3720/GoodyWalker/AtmosCh3sm.pdf|publisher=Prentice-Hall|year=1972|access-date=2016-05-02|archive-date=2016-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729075851/http://lasp.colorado.edu/~bagenal/3720/GoodyWalker/AtmosCh3sm.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

However, when air is hot, it tends to expand, which lowers its density. Thus, hot air tends to rise and transfer heat upward. This is the process of [convection](/source/convection). Convection comes to equilibrium when a parcel of air at a given altitude has the same density as its surroundings. Air is a poor conductor of heat, so a parcel of air will rise and fall without exchanging heat. This is known as an [adiabatic process](/source/adiabatic_process), which has a characteristic pressure-temperature curve. As the pressure gets lower, the temperature decreases. The rate of decrease of temperature with elevation is known as the [adiabatic lapse rate](/source/adiabatic_lapse_rate), which is approximately 9.8&nbsp;°C per kilometer (or 5.4&nbsp;°F per 1000&nbsp;feet) of altitude.<ref name=goodywilson/>

The presence of water in the atmosphere complicates the process of convection. Water vapor contains latent [heat of vaporization](/source/heat_of_vaporization). As air rises and cools, it eventually becomes [saturated](/source/Dew_point) and cannot hold its quantity of water vapor. The water vapor condenses (forming [cloud](/source/cloud)s), and releases heat, which changes the lapse rate from the [dry adiabatic lapse rate](/source/dry_adiabatic_lapse_rate) to the [moist adiabatic lapse rate](/source/moist_adiabatic_lapse_rate) (5.5&nbsp;°C per kilometre or 3&nbsp;°F per 1000&nbsp;feet).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://meteorologytraining.tpub.com/14312/css/14312_47.htm |title=Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate |publisher=tpub.com |access-date=2016-05-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603041448/http://meteorologytraining.tpub.com/14312/css/14312_47.htm |archive-date=2016-06-03 }}</ref> The actual lapse rate, called the [environmental lapse rate](/source/environmental_lapse_rate), is not constant (it can fluctuate throughout the day or seasonally and also regionally), but a normal lapse rate is 5.5&nbsp;°C per 1,000&nbsp;m (3.57&nbsp;°F per 1,000&nbsp;ft).<ref>{{cite book
  | chapter-url=http://goldbook.iupac.org/A00144.html
  | chapter=Adiabatic Lapse Rate
  | publisher=[IUPAC](/source/IUPAC)| doi=10.1351/goldbook.A00144
  | year=2009
  | isbn=978-0-9678550-9-7
  | title=The IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology
 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dommasch|first=Daniel O.|title=Airplane Aerodynamics (3rd ed.)|publisher=Pitman Publishing Co.|year=1961|page=22}}</ref> Therefore, moving up {{convert|100|m}} on a mountain is roughly equivalent to moving 80&nbsp;kilometres (50&nbsp;miles or 0.75° of [latitude](/source/latitude)) towards the pole.<ref>{{cite web
  | title= Mountain Environments
  | url= http://quin.unep-wcmc.org/mountains/mountain_watch/pdfs/mountainEnvironments.pdf
  | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110825113735/http://quin.unep-wcmc.org/mountains/mountain_watch/pdfs/mountainEnvironments.pdf
  | archive-date=2011-08-25
  | publisher = United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre}}</ref> This relationship is only approximate, however, since local factors, such as proximity to [ocean](/source/ocean)s, can drastically modify the climate.<ref>{{cite web
  | url=http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Education/factors_affecting_climate.htm
  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163841/http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Education/factors_affecting_climate.htm
  | archive-date=2011-07-16
  | title=Factors affecting climate
  | publisher=The United Kingdom Environmental Change Network}}</ref> As the altitude increases, the main form of [precipitation](/source/precipitation_(meteorology)) becomes [snow](/source/snow) and the [wind](/source/wind)s increase. The temperature continues to drop until the [tropopause](/source/tropopause), at {{convert|11000|m|ft}}, where it does not decrease further. This is higher than the highest [summit](/source/summit).

==Distribution==
thumb|right|upright=1.4|Global map of alpine climate<ref name=Testolin/>
Although this climate classification only covers a small portion of the Earth's surface, alpine climates are widely distributed. 
Mountainous areas that have alpine climate include:<ref name=Testolin>{{cite journal|last1=Testolin|first1=Riccardo|last2=Attorre|first2=Fabio|last3=Jiménez-Alfaro|first3=Borja|year=2020|title=Global distribution and bioclimatic characterization of alpine biomes|journal=Ecography|volume=43|issue=6 |pages=779–788 |doi=10.1111/ecog.05012|bibcode=2020Ecogr..43..779T |hdl=11585/896830|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
*'''Asia'''
**[Himalayas](/source/Himalayas)
**[Tibetan Plateau](/source/Tibetan_Plateau)
**[Gansu](/source/Gansu)
**[Caucasus Mountains](/source/Caucasus_Mountains)
**[Qinghai](/source/Qinghai)
**[Mount Lebanon](/source/Mount_Lebanon)<ref>{{cite book |last1=McColl |first1=R. W. |title=Encyclopedia of World Geography - Volume 1 |date=May 14, 2014 |publisher=Facts On File, Incorporated |isbn=9780816072293 |page=537}}</ref>
*'''Europe'''
**[Alps](/source/Alps)
**[Urals](/source/Urals)
**[Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees)
**[Scandinavian Mountains](/source/Scandinavian_Mountains)
**[Scottish Highlands](/source/Scottish_Highlands)
*'''South America'''
**[Andes](/source/Andes)
*'''North America'''
**[Sierra Nevada](/source/Sierra_Nevada) in California
**[Cascade Range](/source/Cascade_Range)
**[Rocky Mountains](/source/Rocky_Mountains)
**[Torngat Mountains](/source/Torngat_Mountains), Canada
**[Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt](/source/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt)
*'''Africa'''
**[Atlas Mountains](/source/Atlas_Mountains)
**[Ethiopian Highlands](/source/Ethiopian_Highlands)
*'''Oceania'''
**[Southern Alps](/source/Southern_Alps) of New Zealand
**[Tasmania](/source/Tasmania)
**[Mount Pico](/source/Mount_Pico) in the Atlantic<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate atlas of the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores |url=https://www.ipma.pt/export/sites/ipma/bin/docs/publicacoes/atlas.clima.ilhas.iberico.2011.pdf |publisher=[IPMA](/source/IPMA), [AEMET](/source/AEMET) |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref>
**[Mauna Loa](/source/Mauna_Loa) in the Pacific<ref>{{cite web|title=Plants and Climate|work=Information about Mauna Loa|publisher=Hawaii Center for Volcanology|url=https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/mloa-flora.html|access-date=11 March 2025}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

thumb|right|Elevation of treeline by latitude<ref name=Testolin/>
The lowest altitude of alpine climate varies dramatically by latitude. If alpine climate is defined by the tree line, then it occurs as low as {{convert|650|m|ft}} at 68°N in Sweden,<ref name=korner>{{cite journal|last1=Körner|first1=Ch|year=1998|title=A re-assessment of high elevation treeline positions and their explanation|journal=Oecologia|volume=115|pages=445–459|doi=10.1007/s004420050540|pmid=28308263|issue=4|url=http://culter.colorado.edu/~kittel/TreelineLat_Koerner98.pdf|bibcode=1998Oecol.115..445K|citeseerx=10.1.1.454.8501|s2cid=8647814|access-date=2015-08-05|archive-date=2006-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060911194023/http://culter.colorado.edu/%7ekittel/TreelineLat_Koerner98.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> while on [Mount Kilimanjaro](/source/Mount_Kilimanjaro) in Tanzania, the tree line is at {{convert|3950|m}}.<ref name=korner/>

==See also==
*[Alpine tundra](/source/Alpine_tundra)
*[Alpine plant](/source/Alpine_plant)
*[Climate of the Alps](/source/Climate_of_the_Alps)
*[List of alpine climate locations](/source/List_of_alpine_climate_locations)

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

{{Koppen}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpine Climate}}
*A
Category:Köppen climate types
Category:Mountain meteorology
Category:Montane ecology
Category:Climate by mountain range
Category:Climate of the Alps

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alpine climate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_climate) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_climate?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.