Why altitude affects temperature

Normally, Earth receives heat during the day via solar radiation and loses heat through terrestrial radiation at night. Some days are shorter than others think: seasons. Regions with longer days typically regions near the equator will experience more intense heat. During winter at the North and South poles, the sun is below the horizon for 24 hours. These regions experience no solar radiation and remain constantly cold.

In the summer at the poles, there is constant solar radiation, but it is still typically cold warmer than winter at the poles, but colder than summer near the equator.

Solar radiation intensity can range from no radiation during polar winter to maximum radiation of about watts per square meters during summer. Zachariah Wavomba started writing professionally in His articles have appeared in publications such as "Saturday Nation" magazine and "The Standard. Angle of incidence refers to the angle at which the sun's rays strike Earth's surface.

Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options.

Discover World-Changing Science. Get smart. Forces of Nature. Atmospheric Science. Lower pressure at higher altitudes causes the temperature to be colder on top of a mountain than at sea level.

Pictured is Mount Everest behind the mountain of Nuptse. Air pressure can best be described as the weight of the air molecules that press down on the Earth. The air pressure lowers as altitude increases. Therefore, the highest air pressure is at sea level where the density of the air molecules is the greatest. What is the normal atmospheric pressure? The standard or close-to-average atmospheric pressure at sea level is about Just remember that temperature changes 5. There is a formula to determine temperature change with altitude called the temperature altitude equation.

So, bundle up the higher you go on the mountain and enjoy a great day on skis or snowboards, regardless of the weather.

Does wind affect snow? Snow science: How mountains make snow. Avoid altitude sickness on high elevation ski trips by hydrating. Newsroom Snow Science Does elevation affect temperature?