There are many factors that influence climate dynamics, such as latitude, winds, masses of air, humidity, rains, maritime and continentality, the temperature of the oceans, among others. Despite this diversity, the altitude is one of the most decisive factors on the characteristics of the climate.
we mean by altitude the vertical distance, which must be measured in meters, between a given location on Earth and sea level.
The altitude influences the climate, mainly through the atmospheric pressure. It is known that air pressure is responsible for the increase in temperatures. So the higher the pressure, the hotter it gets; the lower the pressure, the cooler.
The regions of the Earth that are closer to sea level, that is, that have lower altitudes, suffer from greater atmospheric pressure, making them warmer. Those regions with higher altitude, on the other hand, suffer less from atmospheric pressure, becoming cooler.
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In this way, it is possible to establish the following relationship:
the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature; the lower the altitude, the higher the temperature.It should be noted, however, that it is not just atmospheric pressure that provides the inverse relationship between altitude and temperature. Higher regions generally have higher incidences of wind and precipitation (in the form of rain or snow), which also contributes to lower temperatures.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Influence of altitude on climate"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/influencia-altitude-sobre-clima.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.