Circumpolar Arctic Elevation

 

Circumpolar Arctic Elevation

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Adiabatic cooling of air masses at higher elevations causes altitudinal zonation (elevation belts). For continental areas, the environmental adiabatic lapse rate is about 6 °C per 1000 m (Barry 1981). This is equivalent to a shift in bioclimatic subzone for about every 333 m elevation gain. A topographic map was made with elevation isolines at 333, 667, 1000, 1333, 1667, and 2000 meters. These show roughly where altitudinal zonation shifts can be expected.

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