Mountain side updrafts can be strengthened by…
Solar irradiation heats the surface on the windward side of a mountain. As the sun warms the mountain slopes, the air near the surface also heats up. This heating causes the air to expand and become less dense, creating an upward thermal updraft. The warmer, less dense air rises along the mountain slope, which intensifies the updrafts and can enhance orographic lift (the lift caused by terrain). This process is particularly effective during the day when solar heating is strongest.
"By warming of upper atmospheric layers." Incorrect.
- While warming of upper atmospheric layers affects overall atmospheric stability, it doesn't directly enhance mountain side updrafts in the way surface heating does.
"Thermal radiation of the windward side during the night." Incorrect.
- At night, the windward side of the mountain cools down, and thermal radiation causes the surface to lose heat rather than gain it. This cooling reduces the temperature difference between the surface and the surrounding air, weakening updrafts rather than intensifying them.
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