Climate of the Alps

Climate of the Alps

The climate of the Alps is the climate, or average weather conditions over a long time, f the central Alpine region of Europe.

It is well known that as we rise from sea level
into the upper regions of the [[Earth's atmosphere|

atmosphere]] the temperature [[adiabatic cooling |decreases]]. The effect of mountain chains on prevailing winds is to carry warm air belonging to the lower region into an upper zone, where it expands in volume at the cost of a proportionate loss of heat,

often accompanied by the precipitation of moisture in the form of snow or rain.

of thThe position of the Alps about the centre European continent has profoundly modified the climate of all the surrounding regions. The accumulation of vast masses of snow, which have gradually been converted into permanent glaciers, maintains

joupa gradation of very different climates within

the narrow space that intervenes between the foot of the mountains and their upper ridges; it cools

the breezes that are wafted to the plains on
either side, but its most important function is
to regulate the water supply of the large

region which is traversed by the streams of the Alps. Nearly all the moisture that is precipitated

during six or seven months is stored in the form

of snow, and is gradually diffused