Microclimatic Studies in the ALPS

Geomorphologists, botanists, and ecologists often cannot ignore the climatic foundation of their studies. Three stages are mentioned in the paper, the first of which is characterized by the use of macroclimatic data. In the Alps such a practice has been favored by a relatively dense network of climatic stations with long observation periods. Nevertheless discrepencies resulted. One example is the calculation of hygric continentality for limiting plant areas, another is the altitudinal correlation of patterned ground areas with freeze-thaw frequencies on the basis of air temperature registrations. The second stage of research is a combination of special field investigations with microclimatic