Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface to the Third Edition
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Mountains and their climatological study
- 2 Geographical controls of mountain meteorological elements
- 3 Circulation systems related to orography
- 4 Climatic characteristics of mountains
- 5 Regional case studies
- 6 Mountain bioclimatology
- 7 Changes in mountain climates
- Appendix
- Index
- References
1 - Mountains and their climatological study
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface to the Third Edition
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Mountains and their climatological study
- 2 Geographical controls of mountain meteorological elements
- 3 Circulation systems related to orography
- 4 Climatic characteristics of mountains
- 5 Regional case studies
- 6 Mountain bioclimatology
- 7 Changes in mountain climates
- Appendix
- Index
- References
Summary
INTRODUCTION
It is the aim of this book to bring together the major strands of our existing knowledge of weather and climate in the mountains. The first part of the book deals with the basic controls of the climatic and meteorological phenomena and the second part with particular applications of mountain climatology and meteorology. By illustrating the general climatic principles, a basis can also be provided for estimating the range of conditions likely to be experienced in mountain areas of sparse observational data.
In this chapter we introduce mountain environments as they have been perceived historically, and consider the physical characteristics of mountains and their global significance. We then briefly review the history of research into mountain weather and climate and outline some basic considerations that influence their modern study.
Historical perceptions
The mountain environment has always been regarded with awe. The Greeks believed Mount Olympus to be the abode of the gods, to the Norse the Jötunheim was the home of the Jotuns, or ice giants, while to the Tibetans, Mount Everest (Chomo Longmu) is the “goddess of the snows.” In many cultures, mountains are considered “sacred places;” Nanga Parbat, an 8125 m summit in the Himalaya, means sacred mountain in Sanskrit, for example. Conspicuous peaks are associated with ancestral figures or deities (Bernbaum, 1998) – Sengem Sama with Fujiyama (3778 m) in Japan and Shiva-Parvati with Kailas (6713 m) in Tibet – although at other times mountains have been identified with malevolent spirits, the Diablerets in the Swiss Valais, for example.
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- Mountain Weather and Climate , pp. 1 - 23Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008
References
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