rainshadow
Mountain's arid side
A rainshadow is the dry area on the leeward side of a mountain range, where precipitation drops sharply because moisture-laden air releases its rain or snow as it rises over the mountains.
Deserts often form in rainshadows: The Great Basin lies in the rainshadow of the Sierra Nevada.
Also spelled rain shadow.
Absence of moisture
- precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- microclimateLocalized atmospheric zone
- windwardFacing the wind
leeward · moisture · humidity · condensation · evaporation · weather · barrier · desiccation
Tall elevated landmasses
- valleyLow ground between heights
- plateauFlat highland area
- terrainLand's physical features
- elevationHeight above reference point
slope · range · cordillera · basin · leeward · windward · topography · escarpment
Central Asian arid region
- MojaveSouthwestern American desert
- PatagonianOf South America's southern tip
- AtacamaChilean coastal desert
- Great BasinClosed hydrological region, American West
dunes · barren · arid · desolate · interior · continental · dusty · scrubland
aridity
Absence of moisture
- precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- microclimateLocalized atmospheric zone
windward · leeward · moisture · humidity · condensation · evaporation · weather · barrier · desiccation · meteorology
mountains
Tall elevated landmasses
elevation · slope · range · cordillera · basin · leeward · windward · topography · escarpment · downwind
Gobi
Central Asian arid region
- MojaveSouthwestern American desert
- PatagonianOf South America's southern tip
- AtacamaChilean coastal desert
Great Basin · dunes · barren · arid · desolate · interior · continental · dusty · scrubland · sere
sagebrush
Aromatic arid-land shrub
- shrublandBush-dominated vegetation zone
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- xerophyteDrought-tolerant plant species
adaptation · endemic · habitat · flora · fauna · biome · succulent · drought-tolerant · sparse · vegetation
rainshadowwindward slope
Slope facing the air current
rainforest · temperate rainforest · cloud forest · wetlands · wetland
rain, shadow, rains, rained, raining, rainy, rainiest, shadows, shadowed