In geography, aspect generally refers to the direction to which a mountain slope faces. For example, a slope on the eastern edge of the Rockies toward the Great Plains is described as having an easterly aspect. A slope which falls down to a deep valley on its western side and a shallower one on its eastern side has a westerly aspect or is a west-facing slope. Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Rockies may also refer to the National League Baseball team, the Colorado Rockies. ... The Great Plains covers much of the central United States, portions of Canada and Mexico. ... Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley A valley (in Scotland, a glen) is a landform, which can range from a few square miles (square kilometers) to hundreds or even thousands of square miles in area. ...

The term can also be used to describe the shape or alignment of a coastline. Here, the aspect is the direction which the coastline is facing towards the sea. For example, as northwest-trading coastline with sea to the northeast (as in most of Queensland) has a northeasterly aspect. Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (June Quarter Released Statistics 2006)  - Population  4,053,444 (3rd)  - Density  2. ...

Description: Slope effect, a vegetational result of aspect, in evidence in the coastal sage scrub community of southern California's Santa Monica Mtns. The slope on the left side is north-facing, thus moister and dominated by Ceanothus verrucosus. The south-facing slope on the right side is much drier (receiving more direct sun), and is more sparsely vegetated with the more drought tolerant Artemisia californica and Yucca whipplei.

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 553 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1416 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 553 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1416 pixel, file size: 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. ... Binomial name Artemisisa californica (Less. ... Binomial name Yucca whipplei Torr Our Lords Candle (Yucca whipplei) is a Yucca native to southern California and Baja, Mexico. ...

Importance of aspect

The aspect of a slope can produce very significant influences on its local climate (microclimate). For example, because the sun's rays are in the west at the hottest time of day in the afternoon, in most cases a west-facing slope will be warmer than a sheltered east-facing slope (unless large-scale rainfall influences dictate otherwise). This can have major effects on altitudinal and polar limits of tree growth and also on the distribution of vegetation that requires large quantities of moisture. In Australia, for example, remnants of rainforest are almost always found on east-facing slopes which are protected from dry westerly wind. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... In this view of an alpine tree-line, the distant line looks particularly sharp. ... Wind, tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) Wind is the rough horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by uneven heating of the Earths surface. ...

Similarly, in the northern hemisphere a south-facing slope will be more open to sunlight and warm winds and will therefore generally be warmer than a north-facing slope. This can be seen in the Swiss Alps, where farming is much more extensive on south-facing than on north-facing slopes. In the Himalayas, this effect can be seen to an extreme degree, with south-facing slopes being warm, wet and forested, and north-facing slopes cold, dry but much more heavily glaciated. The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 88-90% of the human population. ... The Swiss Alps are the central portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. ... Farmlands in Hebei province, China. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Austrias longest glacier, the Pasterze, winds its 8 km (5 mile) route at the foot of Austrias highest mountain, the Grossglockner A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ...

For a farmer, thus, choosing as aspect that will shelter from hot, dry winds or from cold can be critical to successful growth of crops. Most farming agencies will state in manuals whether a crop prefers a poleward or equatorward aspect (if this is important). Glaciology is also influenced by aspect: unless precipitation patterns dictate otherwise (as in Iceland where glaciers accumulate on the much wetter southwestern side) glaciers always accumulate downwards on the poleward side of mountains. Lateral moraine on a glacier joining the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ...

Soil aspects

In some locales there are patterns of soil differences related to differences in aspect. Strong slopes with equatorward aspects tend to have soil organic matter levels and seasonal influences similar to level slopes at lower elevation whereas poleward aspects have soil development similarities to level soils at higher elevations. Soils with a prevailing windward aspect will typically be shallower, and often with more developed subsoil characteristics, than adjacent soils on the leeward where decelerating winds tend to deposit more air-borne particulate material. Outside of the tropics, soils with an aspect directed toward an early afternoon solar position will typically have the lowest soil moisture content and lowest soil organic matter content relative to other available aspects in a locale. Aspect similarly influence seasonal soil biological processes that are temperature dependent. Particulate laden winds often blow from a prevailing direction near solar early afternoon, the effects combine in pattern common to both hemispheres. Organic has several meanings and related topics. ... Pedogenesis or soil evolution (formation) is the process by which soil is created. ... Windward is the side of a boat into which the wind is blowing. ... Leeward is the side of a boat away from the direction where the wind is coming (i. ... Eolian (or aeolian) processes pertain to the activity of the winds. ... Soil life is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil. ...

Coastal aspects

These are usually of importance only in the tropics, but there they produce many unexpected climatic effects: The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ...

• The dryness of the Dahomey Gap, due to the rain-bearing winds moving parallel to the coast.

• The summer dryness of the Coromandel Coast due to the southerly monsoon flowing parallel to the coast. Its wetness during the northeast monsoon is similarly explained.

• The anomalous late autumn rainy seasons of central Vietnam and the coastal zone of northeastern Brazil for the same reason as above.

• The unusual dryness of Port Moresby compared to the rest of New Guinea is due to the fact that the National Capital District lies parallel to the trade winds which have a drying effect. In Gulf Province and Lae, which receives their full force, rainfal during southern winter is exceedingly heavy.

• The relative dryness of the Queensland coast has the same cause as with Port Moresby.

In West Africa, the Dahomey Gap refers to the area of savanna that extends all the way to the coast in Benin, Togo and Ghana, thus separating the forest zone that covers much of the south of the region into two separate parts. ... Summer is a season that is astronomically defined as beginning around June 21, and ending around September 23 in the Northern Hemisphere. ... The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India A monsoon is a wind pattern that changes direction depending on the specific season. ... Fall redirects here. ... In northeastern Brazil (Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba,Pernambuco, and Bahia), the Zona da Mata (in Portuguese, forest zone) refers to the narrow coastal plain between the Atlantic Ocean and the dry regions of the agreste and sertão. ... Port Moresby town Port Moresby, (), population 255,000 (2000), is the capital of Papua New Guinea. ... The trade winds are a pattern of wind found in bands around Earths equatorial region. ... Lae is the second largest city of Papua New Guinea with a population of approx 120,000. ...

See also

• Pedology