Relief of Central Asia and climate factors

Central Asia’s climate is shaped by three main factors: the region’s geographic position and solar radiation, the movement of air masses, and the relief. The light energy and heat that reach the Earth’s surface from the Sun is called solar radiation. The more steeply the Sun’s rays fall on the surface, the more heat a place receives, so radiation increases from north to south. Light reaching the surface directly is direct radiation, light scattered by vapour, dust and clouds is diffuse radiation, and their sum is total radiation. About one fifth of the energy coming from the Sun does not reach the ground but is reflected back from the atmosphere into space. Because cloudless days are many, the plains of Central Asia receive more radiation than other regions at the same latitude.