How do Mountain Ranges Affect Weather? *

Abstract

Many continents contain large mountain ranges that divide the continent into different regions. In the U.S. the Rocky Mountains mark the continental divide. The presence of a large mountain range can have a big effect on seasonal weather patterns. Also, the weather and climate on one side of a mountain range may be very different from weather and climate on the other side of the range. In the case of the Rocky Mountains, the western slope and eastern slope each have very different climates and seasonal weather patterns. There are other mountain ranges in the U.S. besides the Rocky Mountains: The Grand Tetons and the Sierra Nevadas in the west, and the Appalachians in the east. Conduct an experiment comparing seasonal weather patterns on the two sides of a mountain range. Use online databases to gather data about annual temperature, humidity and precipitation patterns for locations on either side of the mountain range. You can even gather data from famous mountain ranges in other parts of the world like the Himalayas, the Alps or the Andes. Use your world atlas to find an interesting location, and then use an online database to gather your data. How do the climates compare? (FI, 2006; GLOBE, 2006; NCAR, 2006; NOAA, 2006; Unisys, 2006; Weather Underground, 2006; WMO, 2006)

Bibliography

• FI, 2006. "Franklin's Forecast," The Franklin Institute. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.fi.edu/weather/.
• GLOBE, 2006. "The GLOBE Program: Measurements: Protocols," GLOBE, managed jointly by UCAR and CSU. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.globe.gov/do-globe/globe-teachers-guide
• NCAR, 2006. "NCAR Science and Education Outreach Page," National Center for Atmospheric Research. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from https://scied.ucar.edu/.
• NOAA, 2006. "NOAA Homepage," National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from http://www.noaa.gov/.
• Unisys Corp, 2006. "Unisys Weather," Blue Bell, PA. Retrieved March 9, 2006, from http://weather.unisys.com/.
• The Weather Underground, Inc, 2005. "The Weather Underground," Ann Arbor, MI. Retrieved December 13, 2005, from http://www.wunderground.com/.
• WMO, 2006. "World Meteorological Organization," WMO, United Nations. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from https://public.wmo.int/en.

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Last edit date: 2019-02-06

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