Subnivean climate refers to the zone in and underneath the snow pack. From the Latin for "under" (sub) and "snow" (nives). This is the environment of many animals that remain active during the winter. This zone provides protection from predators and insulation from the elements. The subnivean climate is formed by three different types of snow metamorphosis: destructive metamorphosis, which begins when snow falls; constructive metamorphosis, the movement of water vapor to the surface of the snow pack; and melt metamorphosis, the melting/sublimation of snow to water vapor and its refreezing in the snow pack. These three types of metamorphosis transform individual snowflakes into ice crystals and create spaces under the snow where small animals can move.
Read more about Subnivean Climate: Animal Habitat, Deconstructive Metamorphosis, Constructive Metamorphosis, Melt Metamorphism, Subnivean Environment
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
“A tree is beautiful, but what’s more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees. Forests create climate, climate influences peoples’ character, and so on and so forth. There can be neither civilization nor happiness if forests crash down under the axe, if the climate is harsh and severe, if people are also harsh and severe.... What a terrible future!”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)