<p>Geog 3251: review sheet</p><p>Mountain Climate Generalities Extremes in temp, wind, precip, etc Major Climatic controls Latitude Variance in temp, radiation, etc, as you change latitude Altitude As altitude increases: changes in pressure, oxygen, air density, vegetation, moisture, radiation, etc High altitude effects (sickness) Large scale climate effects: Chinook, rain shadow effect Monsoon cycle in India Differential heating of land vs.ocean Small Scale Different wind types: slope, mountain valley, katabatic. Movement of air in mountains, diurnal cycle.</p><p>Topography Continentality: principle of moderating effect of water</p><p>Mountain Vegetation Mountains as “islands” of high biodiversity. Veg zonation: Nival Alpine Treeline/Timberline/Forest-tundra transition Subalpine Montane Mixed Aspen-Lodgepole Pine Forest (8,000 to 10,000ft) Pines: needles in clusters Aspen: deciduous tree Subalpine Forest (10,000 to 11,000ft)</p><p>Forest Tundra Transition (11,000 to 11,000ft): krummholz main growth form Alpine (11,200 to 12,000ft) Highest tree in the world? Plant adaptations to climatic conditions: focus on alpine tundra + examples -adaptations to cold -adaptations to dry conditions -adaptations to high UV</p><p>Snow Snow in the atmosphere Temperature+relative humidity+ice nuclei Riming Aggregation</p><p>Snow on the ground Snowpack includes: air, ice, liquid water, pollutants Powder snow versus snowmelt in terms of water% and air% Properties of snow: density, depth, temperature, size and shape of crystals, amount of pollutants; albedo Importance of snow in water resources Snow crystals Seasonal snow, neve/firm, glacial ice (air bubbles in relation to atmospheric air) Types of snow crystals ET equitemperature vs TG temperature gradient, snow firnspiegel Short versus long wave radiation</p><p>Avalanches Mass wasting process Natural hazard Types of avalanches Loose snow Point release, small, very steep slopes, light fluffy snow Slab Trigger, crown, flanks, stauchwall, etc 4 factors of avalanche formation Terrain: 30-45 degree slope angle, trees, elevation, slope shape, etc Weather: precipitation, wind (cornice), temperature Snowpack: strong layer on top of weak layer Humans Glaciation and Glaciers Sublimation Type of glaciers a.Warm glaciers vs. Cold Glaciers b. Ice sheets vs.alpine glaciers Type of glacier movement Plastic deformation Basal sliding *Regelation (small-scale, special case) Glacial landforms: Surface features Erosional Depositional Subglacial</p><p>Ice cores Different location of ice cores: Temperate regions, Greenland, Antarctica (which areas have older ice accumulation, why?) Type of information gathered from ice cores Past climatic conditions (temperature proxy) Greenhouse gases Volcanic activity Chemical composition of layers Organic material can be used for carbon dating Oxygen Isotopes (heavy versus light) as proxy for temperature record Other proxy records of past climate: tree rings, ocean sediments, stalagmites/stalagtites, packrat nests, corral beds Warming temperatures, started 5,000 years ago. Corresponded with rice agriculture.</p><p>Glaciers and Climate Mass balance Accumulation zone versus ablation zone Negative versus positive mass balance - what happens to ELA? Zero mass balance ELA (equilibrium line altitude) Milankovic cycles in relation to ice ages Albedo feedback</p><p>Himalayan Culture Himalayan environmental degradation theory Cultural groups Farming Religion Sky Burial</p>