Elevation

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/elevation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Elevation?Atmospheric temperature decreases approximately 6.5°C per kilometer of altitude increase
2. What is the altitudinal zonation?The predictable change in vegetation and ecosystems with increasing elevation
3. What happens to the air when you go higher up a mountain?Air pressure gets lower, so the air is thinner and cooler. The temperature drops about 6.5°C for every kilometer you climb.
4. Why do different kinds of plants grow at different heights on a mountain?As you go higher, the temperature, moisture, and sunlight change, so plants adapt with smaller leaves or thicker skins to survive.

Lapse Rate: The rate at which atmospheric temperature decreases with an increase in altitude.
Orographic Precipitation: Precipitation generated when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range.
Digital Elevation Model (DEM): A digital representation of the bare-earth surface topography or terrain elevation.
Tectonic Uplift: The process by which Earth's crust is raised to higher elevations by tectonic forces.