Micro Climates

The highest point on the island is Goat Fell at around 852m above sea-level, and about one-quarter from the northern-most point, perhaps by a third more towards the eastern side of the island.  

But in our immediate area, the highest point is Tighvein, at about 448m above sea-level. Quote Wikipaedia: "Tighvein is a hill above Lamlash on the Isle of Arran in western Scotland. It is a Marilyn and the highest point on the south-eastern section of the island, south-east of the pass of Monambre Glen. Two miles from the nearest road, the top is a heathery, boggy moor, almost entirely ringed by thick forestry plantations. For this reason it is rarely climbed; there are no paths to the top."

That actually makes me feel quite bad, because I have now already been up there three times. On the positive side, though, I can confirm that there are no paths up to the top. That means you just walk and sort of aim for where the next highest point is. I say that because one thing you learn very quickly is that beyond every highest point is another rise, and beyond that rise another highest point, just as around every bend or curve in the road is another curve or bend. So how and what does this all have to do with micro climate systems?

When leaving 'ground zero' on Tuesday to head up to Tighvein, it was fairly warm, windstill, and sunny, but then half-way up the hill it started getting colder and a bit breezy. Right at the top it was extremel windy, bitter cold, and eventually the entire area was shrouded in mist. Before that happended though, and it happended fairly fast, I could see Goat Fell and lower-lying peaks in the distance to the north, and they were all totally snow-covered. Where we were, though, it had only been pouring with rain for the past two to three days.

Two days prior when driving to Brodick none of those mountains had any snow on them. When chatting to one of the other guys who had been to Lamlash and Brodick on the same day that I went up the hill, he said that in Lamlash there was an almost gale-force wind blowing, which almost prevented the ferry from going to Holy Isle, but in Brodick, about 6.5km further on it was totally calm, almost pleasant.

The road from the retreat centre to Lamlash essentially goes over a hill. And on this side of the hill, where we are, there is at times a totally different weather (climate) than on the other side where Lamlash is. Often it is also totally misty at the top of that hill, but on either side further down the sun can be shining. Consequently trying to follow any weather forecast is rather difficult. The closest one can get to anything useful is to check on the internet, and to use a site which allows a greater and more specific selection of locations. Otherwise one has to look at the west coast of Scotland on the one side, and Ireland on the other side, and then try and form ones own prediction from that in-between.

A rather strange phenomenon I have now experienced a few times as well is a sudden drop in temperature. The drop is significant enough that one can physically feel it, but I have also verified it on hand of a digital thermometer, where it indicates a drop of up to 3 degrees centigrade in less than five minutes. I think that is quite significant, and makes the "The Day After Tomorrow" movie scenario so much more possible. If the temperature can drop three degrees in such a short period of time, who is saying it can not drop considerably more in a significantly shorter period of time?

The other aspect which totally intrigues me is what happens with the rain water. When going up a hill, what I was taught in physics and science tells me that it is impossible for the water to not run down the hill. Yet here, due to the composition of the soil, as well as the structure of the roots of the heather shrubs and boggy moor, the water is 'held in place' and appears to be retained on the slope. So you can walk uphill at a very steep angle, and still be permanently walking through water. At times even quite deep water. Yet down on the ground when it has been raining for a few hours the water is standing in little ponds, but when the rains stops then within less than half an hour the ground is completely dry. All the water will have been absorbed by the ground. This is all totally contrary to what one experiences in southern Africa. If you had had the amount of rain in South Africa that you get here on Arran in the same time period, then the water would be standing for at least three to four weeks, if not longer.

Oh, and in South Africa the water actually DOES flow down the slopes of hills.;-)

~ 10 Feb 2011 ~

!O-3|-W;-