Abstract
Air temperature changes as a function of elevation were analyzed in a valley of the Spanish Pyrenees. We analyzed insolation, topography and meteorological conditions in order to understand how complex topoclimatic environments develop. Clustering techniques were used to define vertical patterns of air temperature covering more than 1000 m of vertical elevation change. Ten locations from the bottom of the valley to the summits were monitored from September 2016 to June 2019. The results show that (i) night-time lapse rates were between −4 and −2 °C km−1, while in the daytime they were from −6 to −4 °C km−1, due to temperature inversions and topography. Daily maximum temperature lapse rates were steeper from March to July, and daily minimum temperatures were weaker from June to August, and in December. (ii) Different insolation exposure within and between the two analyzed slopes strongly influenced diurnal air temperatures, creating deviations from the general lapse rates. (iii) Usually, two cluster patterns were found (i.e., weak and steep), which were associated with stable and unstable weather conditions, respectively, in addition to high-low atmospheric pressure and low-high relative humidity. The results will have direct applications in disciplines that depend on air temperature estimations (e.g., snow studies, water resources and sky tourism, among others).
Highlights
Near-surface air temperature (i.e., ≈2.0 m above the ground) is a key variable to understanding a multitude of environmental processes, influencing human activities that are analyzed in agronomy [1,2], ecology [3], the tourism industry [4,5] and health [6]
The air temperature across the study area varied from a mean the air maximum (Tmax) around 15 ◦ C at the valley bottom to 10 ◦ C at 2000 m a.s.l
The few local-scale works developed in the Pyrenees to date have focused on nocturnal patterns, while this work includes daytime patterns that are very influenced by topography, land cover and snow presence
Summary
Near-surface air temperature (i.e., ≈2.0 m above the ground) is a key variable to understanding a multitude of environmental processes, influencing human activities that are analyzed in agronomy [1,2], ecology [3], the tourism industry [4,5] and health [6]. In high-elevation mountain areas, the study of surface air temperature behavior is vital to understand and manage the available water resources [7,8], for forecasting weather [9], studying climatic refuges for flora species [10] or for snowmaking in ski resorts [11]. Studying regional and local spatiotemporal air temperature patterns has been common for decades. The main objective is to create regional climates, using datasets from a wide area but sparsely populated with station networks, which generally poorly represent high-elevation mountain. Studies like those of Ackerman [12] in North America, Villmow [13] in Europe and Capel. Regional and local factors and the complex climate of mountain regions are rather underrepresented as a heterogeneous mountain climate
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
