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Very high altitude = 3,500–5,500 metres (11,500–18,000 ft) Extreme altitude = above 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) Travel to each of these altitude regions can lead to medical problems, from the mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness to the potentially fatal high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema .
Above a certain elevation the rising air becomes too dry and cold, and thus discourages tree growth. [9] Even though rainfall may not be a significant factor for some mountains, atmospheric humidity or aridity can be more important climatic stresses that affect altitudinal zones. [11]
The generally strong dependency on elevation is known as altitudinal zonation: the average temperature of a location decreases as the elevation increases. The general effect of elevation depends on atmospheric physics. However, the specific climate and ecology of any particular location depends on specific features of that location.
In an ice cap climate, no plants can grow, and ice gradually accumulates until it flows or slides elsewhere. Many high altitude locations on Earth have a climate where no month has an average temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher, but as this is due to elevation, this climate is referred to as Alpine climate. Alpine climate can mimic either ...
An environmental gradient, or climate gradient, is a change in abiotic (non-living) factors through space (or time). Environmental gradients can be related to factors such as altitude, depth, temperature, soil humidity and precipitation.
Climate change has a direct impact on the productivity of the boreal forest, as well as health and regeneration. [15] As a result of the rapidly changing climate, trees show declines in growth at the southern limit of their range, [ 62 ] and are migrating to higher latitudes and altitudes (northward) to remain their climatic habitat, but some ...
This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather and climate patterns. Bathymetry is the study of underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level.
They considered the possibility that these abilities resulted from an evolutionary genetic adaptation to high-altitude conditions. [31] The Tibetan plateau has an average elevation of 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) above sea level and covers more than 2.5 million km 2; it is the highest and largest plateau in the world. In 1990, it was estimated that ...