CLIMATE OF THE TATRA MOUNTAINS

The typical alpine landscape of the Tatra Mountains has the greatest range of climatic conditions in Central Europe and, as a result, distinct altitudinal climatic zones and corresponding vegetation belts. The climate is determined by solar radiation and the major air circulation belts, modified by orographic factors-elevation, exposition, and inclination. All the main climatic elements (air temperature, precipitation, and snow cover) and different bioclimatic conditions are described in this paper. Diagrams indicate the frequency of the major climatic components and the human response to various weather factors. Results of recent research suggest that climatic changes resulted from the increasing influence of air mass advection from the Atlantic Ocean during the last twenty years. In the alpine belt, a significant decrease in mean annual temperatures was observed between 1968 and 1982 which relates to shorter periods of sunshine. Relatively wet conditions occurred from 1960 to 1980.