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Description: |
The alpine occurs
at high elevations throughout British Columbia
and has the harshest climate of any of the
biogeoclimatic zones in British Columbia.
Temperatures are cold for most of the year,
with much wind and snow. Temperatures remain
low even during the growing season, which
has an exceptionally short frost-free period.
Mean annual temperatures range from 0° to
4°C, and the average monthly temperature
stays below 0°C from 7 to 11 months of the
year. The mean temperature of the warmest
month is less than 10°C. A great deal of
precipitation falls in this zone, mostly
as snow. The Interior Mountain-heather
Alpine Zone (IMA) occupies the entire Columbia
Mountains, the southern Rocky Mountains,
and the lee side of the Coast and Cascade
Mountains.
The Interior Mountain-heather Alpine
Zone is the smallest of the alpine zones
since the altitude at which it begins is
above the height of most of the mountain
ranges: 2500 m in the dry south to 1800
m in the north. There is much precipitation
variation within the zone but summers are
warm relative to the other alpine zones.
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