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I'm wondering how the effect of a change in altitude differs between varying climate types. In my part of the world in a cool maritime climate, small increases in altitude can make a big difference.
Example: go 28 miles east along the 54th parallel, and from 3 metres at Morecambe by the coast to 391 metres at Malham Tarn, and you get the predictable 2-3C temperature drop, but the rainfall increases 50%, you get 2.5 times more frosts and your sunshine decreases by a quarter. It's a shame they don't give snow-lying days, because with the temperatures so close to zero it will probably be a difference between no more than five at Morecambe and 30+ at Malham. Add increased windiness and increased low cloud/hill fog into the equation and the feel of the two places would be quite different with only a change of 1200 feet in altitude. Malham doesn't quite make it as subarctic, but it's getting there. I know topography plays a big part as well, but is the effect of relatively small changes in altitude felt more acutely in climates like this?
I've read somewhere that climate changes faster with altitude in the UK than most places. The increase in frosts makes sense, since it seems the UK has a lot of nights close to freezing but not quite there, so a small decrease in temperature could yield a large increase in frosts.
I made a a list of temperature and precipitation changes with altitude using some examples of temperate northern hemisphere locations. Your example fits well within the range of my examples, predictable as you said. The rainfall change (in amount not %) is higher than most, except for the Paradise, Mt. Rainier example, which is similar.
Why? My guess is might have something to do the location of the clouds. Perhaps England tends to get more low clouds than most places, rain gets deposited if the elevation is above cloud level(?)
I'd like to look through these numbers for Ben Nevis, is the rate similar there, too?
Yes altitude has a major difference. The snowline is kind of semi permanent at like 400m and below that it transitions up and down but often there is only half a degree betweena foot of snow and Nothing at all.
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