IMPORTANT : PIVOTAL ::
SCULPTURE : SHAVING ::
EXACERBATE:
The Andean cordillera is made up of many interwoven mountain ranges, which include high intermontane plateaus, basins, and valleys. The Northern Andes contain several broad ecosystems falling into four altitudinal belts. Its northern subregion is distinguished by higher humidity and by greater climatic symmetry between eastern and western flanks. The Central Andes are characterized by a succession of agricultural zones with varied climatic conditions along the mountains flanks and by large, highaltitude plateaus, variously called puna or altiplano, which do not occur in the Northern Andes. The soil fertility of the northern altiplano is generally good. The western Central Andean ranges are relatively arid with desert-like soils, whereas the eastern ranges are more humid and have more diverse soils. The eastern slopes of the Central Andes in many ways are similar to the wet forests of the Northern Andes. Unlike the Northern Andes, however, these slopes have a dry season. In regions of gentle topography, such as the Amazon basin, regional climatic variation can be determined from a few widely spaced measurements. Regional projections in the Andean cordillera are quite difficult by comparison. For example, while air temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude, variability of mountain topography can produce much lower than expected air temperatures. Nevertheless, some general climatic patterns are discernible. For example, with increasing distance south of the equator the seasonality of precipitation increases, whereas the total annual amount generally decreases. Humidity commonly increases with increasing altitude, but only to some intermediate altitude, above which it declines. The variability of mountain terrain also affects precipitation, such that conditions of extreme wetness and aridity may exist in close proximity. Related to this temperature gradient is a pattern of greater rainfall at the valley heads, and less rain at lower altitudes, resulting in part from mountain rainshadow effect. The weather patterns of theAndean cordillera and Amazon basin in general reflect movements of highand low-pressure cells associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low- pressure trough that moves further north and south on a seasonal basis. Precipitation is high throughout the year in the highlands and on the coast in the NorthernAndes. Coastal aridity increases south of central Ecuador, culminating in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. In the Central Andes, highland precipitation is seasonal, and amounts are approximately half those measured in the Northern Andes. The aridity of the Central Andean coastal zone is the result of the drying effect of the cold Pacific Humboldt current and the southern Pacific high-pressure cell. Much of the southern portion of the Central Andes in Bolivia is also arid.The dry season causes soil moisture deficits and diminished stream flow part of each year.The passage mentions all the following as climatic factors in the Central Andes cordillera EXCEPT for
The _______ of the judging process might be compromised unless each contestant is assigned a unique code number by which he or she is identified.
SCALE : TONE :
