Science · 6 pages · 12 min
How a rain shadow dries the lee of a mountain
Air drops its moisture climbing a range and reaches the lee side warmer and drier.
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From the opening
A rain shadow is the dry region downwind of a mountain range, formed because air loses much of its moisture on the windward slopes and then descends on the lee side warmer and drier. The mountain forces a thermodynamic path, and it does not block clouds the way a wall blocks objects. The opening covers lift cools the windward air, condensation removes the water, and descent warms and dries the lee.
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Inside
- Lift cools the windward air
- Condensation removes the water
- Descent warms and dries the lee
- Foehn winds are the dry arrival
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Orographic precipitation and the rain shadow
- Foehn and chinook warming on descent