Microclimate

Enough with the dire and dangerous perils! Lets get back to one of my favorite, much less discouraging subjects: Microclimate.  A microclimate is the climate of an  area that is different from the area around it. It may be warmer or colder, wetter or drier, or more or less prone to frosts. or fog. It can be a small area, or quite extensive.

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A big part of my past life as a plant ecologist involved tramping over hill and dale, finding and characterizing plant communities. In my present life as a realtor, I drive, bike and walk across hill and dale, finding and characterizing human communities. Plants thrive in some places and suffer in others, and the same is true humans. Plants and humans vary in their range of tolerance for specific conditions. Before buying a home it's good to really ponder your temperature, wind and light tolerance and preferences.

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The factors that interact to create individual microclimates include slope, aspect (exposure direction) and elevation. In June I discussed this at length, starting with this post.  The built environment also has impact on microclimate.

Almost all microclimates support life of some kind, even the deepest darkest undersea trenches, but some areas support a broader spectrum of life then others. The human species is so adaptive that we are found across the globe, but we generally prefer temperate zones close to water, which is one reason the SF Bay area is such a desirable (read expensive) place to live. 


Another is that humans also like prospect, refuge and complexity, which our diverse and dramatic terrain provides in spades. Chances are, unless you are one of those snow dependent types, there is a neighborhood here where you can really flourish.