microclimate

Pocket of weather

A microclimate is the climate of a small, localized area that differs from the surrounding region.

A sheltered garden corner may stay warmer than the open yard; a shaded north-facing slope stays cooler than adjacent sunny ground.

Urban areas often form heat islands—microclimates warmer than surrounding countryside.

Gardeners and farmers pay close attention to microclimates when deciding what to plant where.

conditions

temperature

Measured heat intensity

shade · sunlight · wind · exposure · warmth · cooling · drying · evaporation · dewpoint

localized

terroir

Geography's influence on taste

  • pocketFabric compartment in clothing
  • zoneBounded area designation
  • nicheRecessed wall space

enclave · microhabitat · sheltered · exposed · elevation · slope · aspect · topography · canopy · windbreak

ecology

habitat

Organism's natural environment

species · adaptation · refugia · understory · streamside · riparian · moss · lichen · invertebrates · pollinator

gardening

greenhouse

Climate-controlled plant enclosure

espalier · windbreak · irrigation · hardiness · overwintering · polytunnel · microgreens · permaculture

Categories
Opposites
spatial scale

microclimatemacroclimate

Large-area atmospheric conditions

global climate · regional climate · climate zone · biome

Family

microclimates

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