what is a rain shadow? course hero

A rain shadow is a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather. On one side of the mountain, wet weather systems drop rain and snow. On the other side of the mountain—the rain shadow side—all that precipitation is blocked.

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What is a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather. On one side of the mountain, wet weather systems drop rain and snow. On the other side of the mountain—the rain shadow side—all that precipitation is blocked.

What is a rain shadow called?

Orographic rain shadows are low-precipitation areas found on the side of a mountain that's sheltered from the wind, also called the leeward side.

What is rain shadow Class 9?

A rain shadow area is an area of dry land that lies on the leeward(or downwind) side of a mountain. High mountains act as barriers for cold or hot winds; they may also cause precipitation if they are high enough and lie in the path of rain-bearing winds. The leeward side of the mountains remains dry.

What is rain shadow in a sentence?

Annual rainfall is low compared to surrounding areas, implying that it lies in a rain shadow. This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license. On the east side of the mountains is a drier rain shadow.

What is a rain shadow quizlet?

Rain shadow. a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area.

What causes a rain shadow?

Rain shadow deserts are created when mountain ranges lie parallel to moist, coastal areas. Prevailing winds moving inland cool as air is forced to rise over the mountains. Carried moisture falls on slopes facing the winds. When the winds move over the crest and down the far side, they are very dry.

What is rain shadow area give two example?

One such example of a rain shadow region is Death valley. Rainshadow areas: Northern Karnataka, Osmanabad, Beed(Maharashtra), Solapur, Gilgit and Chitral, the Vidarbha plateau, and the eastern side of Kerala, Pakistan are all rainshadow areas.

What is a rain shadow area give an example of it in India?

The eastern side of the Sahyadri ranges on the Deccan Plateau including: North Karnataka and Solapur, Beed, Osmanabad, the Vidharba Plateau and the eastern side of Kerala and western Tamil Nadu in India. Gilgit and Chitral, Pakistan, are rainshadow areas.

Where do rain shadows exist?

Rain shadow deserts can be found in other areas of the world, including the following: The Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China is in a rain shadow due to the towering Himalaya mountain range. The Atacama Desert in Chile is in a rain shadow created by both the Andes Mountains and weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean.

What is the rain shadow orographic effect?

The orographic effect occurs when air masses are forced to flow over high topography. As air rises over mountains, it cools and water vapor condenses. As a result, it is common for rain to be concentrated on the windward side of mountains, and for rainfall to increase with elevation in the direction of storm tracks.

Where are rain shadow deserts common?

Rain shadow deserts are most easily found on the leeward side of mountain ranges that run perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction, such as in the Rockies and Cascades in North America, Andes in South America, and Great Dividing Range in Australia.

What is the rain shadow region in Brazil called?

Answer: The rain shadow region in Brazil is called as Sertao. This is located in the north-eastern Brazil. Basically, rain shadow is the dry land that is on the leeward side of the mountain areas.

What is the opposite side of a rain shadow called?

leeward sideA rain shadow region is the leeward side which is opposite to the windward side.

Where do rain shadows exist?

Rain shadow deserts can be found in other areas of the world, including the following: The Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China is in a rain shadow due to the towering Himalaya mountain range. The Atacama Desert in Chile is in a rain shadow created by both the Andes Mountains and weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean.

What is a rain shadow kids?

From Academic Kids A rain shadow (or more accurately, precipitation shadow) is a dry region on the surface of the Earth that is leeward or behind a mountain with respect to the prevailing wind direction.

What is the rain shadow orographic effect?

The orographic effect occurs when air masses are forced to flow over high topography. As air rises over mountains, it cools and water vapor condenses. As a result, it is common for rain to be concentrated on the windward side of mountains, and for rainfall to increase with elevation in the direction of storm tracks.

What is the rain shadow effect and how does it work?

The rain shadow effect is when a dry area occurs on the leeward side of a mountain. It occurs because the mountain intercepts moisture from the air...

Where is a rain shadow area?

There are many rain shadow areas across the globe near notable mountain ranges. A good example is The Great Basin in the Western United States whic...

What causes a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is caused by a large topographical object that intercepts rain. The most common cause of a rain shadow is a mountain range.

Why is it called a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is named because it works similarly to a shadow. A shadow results when light is intercepted and a dark area is cast as a result. In a...

Why is there a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather. On one side of the mountain, wet weather systems drop rain and snow. On the other side of the mountain—the rain shadow side—all that precipitation is blocked.

What is dry land?

dry land on the side of a mountain facing away from prevailing winds.

Which mountain range has the most dry climate?

The Tibetan Plateau, a rain shadow in Tibet, China, and India has the enormous Himalaya mountain range to thank for its dry climate. The Sierra Nevada block wind and weather systems from reaching Death Valley. Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie.

What is a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is an area of dry land caused when atmospheric moisture is intercepted before it reaches that land. A rain shadow is thus an area of low precipitation, and the resulting ecosystem from this climate will have desert-like conditions.

Why is a rain shadow called a rain shadow?

A rain shadow is named because it works similarly to a shadow. A shadow results when light is intercepted and a dark area is cast as a result. In a rain shadow, rain is intercepted and a dry area results.

What causes rain shadows?

Rain shadows are caused by a large structure that intercepts atmospheric moisture on its journey from the sea to an inland environment . The most common cause of a rain shadow is a tall mountain range. This topographical interruption can cause drastic changes for ecosystems and results in the formation of deserts along with many mountain ranges.

How does a shadow work?

A shadow is created when an object intercepts light. As the object becomes illuminated in light, it creates an area of darkness behind it. A rain shadow works similarly. Water that is picked up from a body of water travels through the atmosphere as clouds. When that water becomes too dense and cool, it falls to the ground in precipitation. When a large structure gets in the way of moving water, the water may condense and drop its liquid prematurely. The result is a structure that becomes saturated in moisture while a "shadow" of the dry area remains on the other side.

How do rain shadows form?

Most commonly, rain shadows are created when water rising from a large body of water is intercepted by a mountain range. As air travels from the water to the mountain, it rises and cools. The airdrops its moisture as it raises in altitude and becomes drier. The air that reaches the summit and travels back down the mountain is dry. It travels across the following valley as it warms, pulling excess moisture from the land and depositing little to no precipitation.

What happens when the wind reaches the top of a mountain?

Once the wind reaches the top of the mountain, most of its moisture has already been depleted. The wind that climbs the peak and travels along the side opposite the supplying water body (the leeward side) is dry. The rain shadow effect covers this area. As that wind lowers down the mountain, it becomes warm. This warm, dry air pulls any remaining moisture from the land it travels over and provides little to no precipitation. Thus, the leeward side contains less vegetation.

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How do rain shadows form?

Rain shadows form when air moves from west to east across mountain ranges, which act as barriers to the flow of air. (In the middle latitudes—the regions between the tropics and the polar circles—all winds travel from west to east.)

Where is the Rain Shower in New Zealand?

An orographic, or mountain-triggered, rain shower passes over New Zealand's Southern Alps near Queenstown. Ever wonder why mountains are often snowcapped or have a halo of clouds encircling their peaks, ...

Why are mountains often snowcapped?

As rain-producing winds travel from west to east across mountain ranges, the mountains themselves block the weather's passage, squeezing out moisture on one side of the ridge and casting a “shadow” of dryness behind it on the other side.

How fast can a wind increase on a mountain ridge?

According to AccuWeather, a 40- to 50-mph wind along a mountain ridge can increase to 100 mph by the time it reaches the mountain valleys. 2 This phenomenon is known as a chinook, or a foehn wind. The taller the mountain range, the more pronounced its rain shadow effect will be.

What happens when winds blow against a mountain?

When winds blow against a mountain, they have nowhere to go except be forced to ascend its sloping terrain. As air hikes up the mountain slope, it expands and cools adiabatically. (As a general rule, dry air typically cools by 5.5 degrees F for every 1,000 feet it rises.) 1.

What happens when air reaches the mountain top?

By now, there's little moisture remaining in the air, so very little precipitation falls on the east side of the mountain's crest.

How fast does the air move down a mountain?

According to AccuWeather, a 40- to 50-mph wind along a mountain ridge can increase to 100 mph by the time it reaches the mountain valleys. 2 This phenomenon is known as a chinook, or a foehn wind.

Why is the rain shadow on a hill so barren?

Hence the causes of the rain shadow are the inequalities of land and the condensation of cooler wind.

What causes rain shadows?

Causes of Rain Shadow. As the prevailing winds over the waterbodies when getting on to the land surface, the wind rises, cools and condenses to rain over the hill. After crossing this portion of the hill, the wind has no water vapor present in it and remains simply dry. This dry wind gets over to the other part of the hill, which gets even warmer.

Why does it rain on a hill?

As the prevailing winds over the waterbodies when getting on to the land surface, the wind rises, cools and condenses to rain over the hill. After crossing this portion of the hill, the wind has no water vapor present in it and remains simply dry. This dry wind gets over to the other part of the hill, which gets even warmer. This region which is called as Leeward region or Rain shadow region has little rain over a long period of time and the land will almost be barren. Hence the causes of the rain shadow are the inequalities of land and the condensation of cooler wind.

What is the opposite side of the rain shadow?

As a Shadow is always present on the opposite side, a rain shadow is also present on the opposite side of the rain. A rain shadow region is the leeward side which is opposite to the windward side.

What happens when the wind brings rain?

If the wind that brings rain is towards the east, this rain shadow will be on the west. The wind, when passes to the other side of the hill, its slope slowly increases the pressure of the air, lessening the water vapor present in it and the wind gets warmer. This promotes evaporation.