Everest is considered the highest mountain on Earth, its height reaches 8,848 meters. Every year, hundreds of people try to conquer its summit and they all face a very serious opponent – unbearable cold. Even with the onset of warm August, the temperature on Everest is only -20 degrees Celsius. The rest of the time, the summit greets people with the embrace of 60-degree frost. We all know from school that the higher a person climbs in the mountains, the colder he gets. But this seems illogical, because with each meter a person rises closer to the Sun, which warms us. It seems high time to understand this very simple at first glance phenomenon, which few people have thought about.
It is always cold at high altitude, and there is a scientific explanation for this. Source: fotobase.co
Contents
- 1 Why is it cold in the mountains
- 2 How the air changes at high altitude
- 3 Distance from the Earth to the Sun
- 4 Why do people die on Everest
Why is it cold in the mountains
In fact, it is very easy to explain why it is cold on the mountain tops. The authors of the scientific publication IFL Science recently talked about this.
Some people instinctively think that the closer an object is to the Sun, the hotter it gets. In fact, this is not entirely true – the degree to which anything on our planet heats up depends on the surrounding factors.
The ambient temperature strongly depends on the density of air molecules. Source: photopole.ru
The heat we feel on Earth is not direct thermal energy coming to us from the Sun. Heat is the result of the interaction of solar radiation with particles on our planet.
For a person to feel heat, sunlight must fall on some large surface and be reflected from it. It is also necessary for atmospheric pressure and air density to be high. There is neither of these on the mountain tops, which is why it is cold at high altitudes.
Read also: What should be the ideal temperature on Earth for everyone to feel good
How the air changes at high altitudes
For a better understanding, it is worth delving deeper into the topic. In the lower layers of the atmosphere and especially on the immediate surface of the Earth, the air is dense, that is, its molecules are as close as possible. Solar radiation interacts with this countless number of particles, due to which heat is formed and retained. At high altitudes, such as the summit of Everest and other mountains, air molecules are located less densely, so the air there cannot heat up very much.
Even on the top of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro there is a snow cap because it is cold there. Source: baldezh.top
It should also be taken into account that there are few solid surfaces on the mountains. At low levels of the earth's surface there is a lot of the earth itself, various buildings and other objects that absorb solar radiation and heat up. They release this heat into the air, thanks to which we do not freeze. But in the mountains there is less area for heating, and if you take into account the rarefaction of the air, then there are practically no heating paths left.
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Distance from the Earth to the Sun
It turns out that the cold on the mountain tops is associated with at least two factors. But even if objects became hotter as they rose closer to the Sun, it would still not be hot on the tops of the Earth’s mountains.
The Earth and the Sun are separated by hundreds of millions of kilometers. Source: kartinki.pics
The Sun is 150 million kilometers away from Earth. The height of Everest, which is considered the highest mountain on our planet (if you don't count this nuance), is 8,848 meters. By cosmic standards, this is an insignificant height, and when climbing to the top of Everest, a person becomes closer to the Sun only a drop.
Something else interesting: What is the actual size of the Sun – scientists doubt current knowledge
Why do people die on Everest
The climate on Everest, like on other high mountains, is very harsh. The temperature on their peaks does not rise above zero, so the mountains are always covered with snow.
Also at high altitudes, strong winds blow at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. They are known as high-altitude jet streams and “jet streams” – for climbers, these are serious enemies that can blow them off the slopes or cause frostbite of body parts. If a person gets severe frostbite on any limb, it has to be amputated.
Unfortunately, some climbers die without ever reaching the summit of Everest. Source: fishki.net
In addition to the cold and strong wind, there is always a shortage of oxygen on the mountain tops. Because of this, climbers are forced to use oxygen tanks. And oxygen is very important during such extreme activities, because the body is under high stress.
Finally, on mountain peaks, people are exposed to high levels of solar radiation. If it weren't for protective gear, climbers would get serious sunburn.
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Finally, it's worth noting that Everest has a “death zone,” where many climbers literally go crazy. At the same time, Everest is not the most dangerous mountain for extreme sports enthusiasts — the deadliest is Annapurna, and there are good reasons for that.