Microclimate on rock located in intertidal zone on rock at Sunrise-on Sea

Tree ferns thrive in a protected dell at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, England, latitude 50° 15'N

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A microclimate is a geographical zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet (for example a garden bed) or as large as many square miles (for example a valley). Microclimates exist, for example, near bodies of water which may cool the local atmosphere, or in heavily urban areas where brick, concrete, and asphalt absorb the sun's energy, heat up, and reradiate that heat to the ambient air: the resulting urban heat island is a kind of microclimate. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The rocky shoreline of Newport, Rhode Island showing a clear line where high tide occurs. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (614x819, 121 KB) Summary Photo by Melanie Nakisa. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (614x819, 121 KB) Summary Photo by Melanie Nakisa. ... Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... In physical geography, a dell is a small wooded valley, either U- or V-shaped. ... The Jungle The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall, are one of the most popular botanical gardens in the UK. Originally the gardens were part of the estate owned by the Cornish Tremayne family. ... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ... For other meanings of the term, see Reradiation. ... Tokyo, a case of Urban Heat Island. ...

Another contributory factor to microclimate is the slope or aspect of an area. South-facing slopes in the Northern Hemisphere and north-facing slopes in the Southern Hemisphere are exposed to more direct sunlight than opposite slopes and are therefore warmer for longer. In geography, aspect generally refers to the direction to which a mountain slope faces. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... southern hemisphere highlighted in yellow (Antarctica not depicted). ...

The area in a developed industrial park may vary greatly from a wooded park nearby, as natural flora in parks absorb light and heat in leaves, that a building roof or parking lot just radiates back into the air. Solar energy advocates argue that widespread use of solar collection can mitigate overheating of urban environments by absorbing sunlight and putting it to work instead of heating the local surface objects.^{[citation needed]} Simplified schematic of an islands flora - all its plant species, highlighted in boxes. ... The Solar Two 10 MW solar power facility, showing the power tower (left) surrounded by the sun-tracking mirrors. ...

A microclimate can offer an opportunity as a small growing region for crops that cannot thrive in the broader area; this concept is often used in permaculture practiced in northern temperate climates. Microclimates can be used to the advantage of gardeners who carefully choose and position their plants. Cities often raise the average temperature by zoning, and a sheltered position can reduce the severity of winter. Roof gardening, however, exposes plants to more extreme temperatures in both summer and winter A growing region is an area suited by climate and soil conditions to the cultivation of a certain type of crop. ... Permaculture Mandala summarising the ethics and principles of permaculture design. ... A typical zoning map; this one identifies the zones, or development districts, in the city of Ontario, California Zoning is a North American term for a system of land-use regulation. ... For other uses, see Winter (disambiguation). ... A roof garden is any garden on the roof of a building. ...

Microclimates can also refer to purpose made environments, such as those in a room or other enclosure. Microclimates are commonly created and carefully maintained in museum display and storage environments. This can be done using passive methods, such as silica gel, or with active microclimate control devices. Beads of silica gel Silica gel is a granular, porous form of silica made synthetically from sodium silicate. ...

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See also

Look up Microclimate in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• evapotranspiration
• hydrozoning
• xeriscaping
• Sky island

Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration. ... Hydrozoning is a landscape practice that groups plants with similar water requirements together in an effort to conserve water. ... Xeriscape symbol Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require supplemental irrigation. ... For the fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum, see Sky Island Sky islands are mountains in ranges isolated by valleys in which other ecosystems are located. ...

External links

• Thermal fingerprints to detect a specific microclimate