Editing Microclimate (section)

{{Short description|Local set of atmospheric conditions that differ significantly from the surrounding area}}
{{For|the [[viticulture|viticultural]] use of the term microclimate|Regional climate levels in viticulture}}
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{{More citations needed|date=May 2015}}
{{Lead extra info|date=September 2020}}
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[[File:Micro-climate on rock at Sunrise-on- Sea.jpg|thumb|Microclimate on rock located in [[intertidal zone]] in [[Sunrise-on-Sea]], South Africa]]

A '''microclimate''' (or '''micro-climate''') is a local set of [[atmosphere of Earth|atmospheric]] conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square meters or smaller (for example a [[raised-bed gardening|garden bed]], underneath a rock, or a cave) or as large as many square kilometers. Because [[climate]] is [[statistics|statistical]], which implies [[Spatial analysis|spatial]] and temporal variation of the mean values of the describing [[parameter]]s, microclimates are identified as statistically distinct conditions which occur and/or persist within a region. Microclimates can be found in most places but are most pronounced in topographically dynamic zones such as mountainous areas, islands, and coastal areas.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33421251/ | pmid=33421251 | year=2021 | last1=Ellis | first1=C. J. | last2=Eaton | first2=S. | title=Microclimates hold the key to spatial forest planning under climate change: Cyanolichens in temperate rainforest | journal=Global Change Biology | volume=27 | issue=9 | pages=1915–1926 | doi=10.1111/gcb.15514 | bibcode=2021GCBio..27.1915E | s2cid=231437285 }}</ref>

Microclimates exist, for example, near bodies of water which may cool the local atmosphere, or in heavy urban areas where [[brick]], [[concrete]], and [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] absorb the sun's energy, heat up, and re-radiate that heat to the ambient air: the resulting [[urban heat island]] (UHI) is a kind of microclimate that is additionally driven by relative paucity of [[vegetation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sotoga.com/en/urban-microclimate|title=6 Examples of an Urban Microclimate|publisher=Sotoga |first1= John |last1=Camus |date=November 12, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230902023206/https://sotoga.com/en/urban-microclimate |archive-date= Sep 2, 2023 }}</ref>