The climate of the Alps is the climate, or average weather conditions over a long period of time, of the exact middle Alpine region of Europe.[1][2] As air rises from sea level to the upper regions of the atmosphere the temperaturedecreases. The effect of mountain topography on prevailing winds is to force warm air from 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, rain or hail.
Climate as a function of elevation
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Because air cools as it rises, the climate of the Alps is strongly dependent on the elevation. The Alps contain a number of different kinds of climate zones, by elevation. These zones can be described by the Köppen climate classification, and also correspond to the biotic zones of the Alps.[3]
Between approximately Шаблон:Convert, the climate becomes subarctic (Dfc under the Köppen system), with even shorter summers.[3] The shorter growing season shifts the forest to be purely coniferous.
At about Шаблон:Convert, the climate becomes too cold to support trees, and is classified as an alpine climate (ET under the Köppen system).[3] The summers become cool and only grasses and low plants are adapted to grow. This alpine climate extends to approximately Шаблон:Convert.
