Editing Mountain range (section)

==Climate==
[[File:Andes 70.30345W 42.99203S.jpg|thumb|The [[Andes]], the longest mountain range on the surface of the Earth, have a dramatic impact on the climate of South America]]

The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beniston |first=Martin |date=2006-06-01 |title=Mountain Weather and Climate: A General Overview and a Focus on Climatic Change in the Alps |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1802-0 |journal=Hydrobiologia |language=en |volume=562 |issue=1 |pages=3–16 |doi=10.1007/s10750-005-1802-0 |issn=1573-5117}}</ref> When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing [[Orography|orographic]] precipitation (rain or snow). As the air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the [[adiabatic lapse rate]]) and is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a [[rain shadow]] will affect the leeward side of a range.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orographic precipitation |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/orographic-precipitation |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct [[climate regions]].