Microclimate
Topic: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Climates of India"
Meaning
A microclimate is the climate of a small area that differs from the climate of the region around it. Examples are a valley floor, a forest, a lake shore or a city block. It may be warmer or colder, wetter or drier, or calmer or windier than nearby places. It forms because of local features such as slope, shade, water bodies, plant cover or buildings. Microclimates matter because they affect which crops grow, where frost forms and how comfortable and healthy people are.
Example
Ahmedabad in Gujarat forms an urban heat island. This is a city that stays several degrees warmer than the countryside around it, especially at night. Concrete, asphalt, little greenery and waste heat from vehicles and air-conditioners cause it. Ahmedabad responded with a Heat Action Plan in 2013, the first in South Asia.
Don't confuse with
- Climate of a region: this is the average weather over a large area, such as the climate of north India. A microclimate covers only a small patch inside that area.
Related concepts
- Factors controlling temperature distribution
- Normal lapse rate
- Adiabatic lapse rate
- Continentality
- Equable climate
- Urban heat island