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Earth systems across mountain belts include the asthenosphere (ductile region of the upper mantle), lithosphere (crust and uppermost upper mantle), surface, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. Across mountain belts these Earth systems each have their own processes which interact within the system they belong.
Tectonic–climatic interaction is the interrelationship between tectonic processes and the climate system. The tectonic processes in question include orogenesis, volcanism, and erosion, while relevant climatic processes include atmospheric circulation, orographic lift, monsoon circulation and the rain shadow effect.
A rain shadow is a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them. Wind and moist air are drawn by the prevailing winds towards the top of the mountains, condensing and precipitating before it crosses the top.
Cold air damming typically happens in the mid-latitudes as this region lies within the Westerlies, an area where frontal intrusions are common.When the Arctic oscillation is negative and pressures are higher over the poles, the flow is more meridional, blowing from the direction of the pole towards the equator, which brings cold air into the mid-latitudes. [1]
The daytime increase of the PBL from up-slope winds is called mountain venting. This phenomenon can sometimes cause a vertical exchange of the PBL air into the free troposphere. [8] Similarly to the daytime situation, during summer the top of the mountain is warmer than its surroundings creating a low pressure zone.
Orography is the study of the topographic relief of mountains, [1] and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain. [2] Orography (also known as oreography , orology, or oreology ) falls within the broader discipline of geomorphology . [ 3 ]
For the climate system, the term refers to a critical threshold at which global or regional climate changes from one stable state to another stable state.". [15] In ecosystems and in social systems, a tipping point can trigger a regime shift, a major systems reorganisation into a new stable state. [16] Such regime shifts need not be harmful.
An example of such a system is installed on the only access road of Zermatt in Switzerland. [38] Two radars monitor the slope of a mountain above the road. The system automatically closes the road by activating several barriers and traffic lights within seconds such that no people are harmed. [citation needed]