Investigating Microclimates of Woodland Areas in the Bon Nant Valley

anywhere alone and stick to the paths at all times. 2: Study Area Location of Bon Nant Valley The main town in the valley is St Gervais les Bains so use this to search for the information below: •Mention region of France - Rhone-Alpes Department of France - Haute-Savoie •Altitude in metres of St Gervais les Bains 2300m, Le Bettex- 1800m and Mont Blanc – 4808m •Nearest major town/city •Distance from Italy 25. 7km and Swiss border 7. 6km •On lower slopes of which Alpine mountain? Mount Blanc Economy of St Gervais •what are the main sources of local employment in St Gervais- tourism. Population size of St Gervais les Bains : 5,742 3: Theoretical Background Use the geography sections in the library. Research the theoretical background to your topic.

Produce a glossary of key terminology that you will need to use and be familiar with in your project. Make sure that you understand and can summarise the main terms, concepts, ideas and theories. Make sure you read at least the following 3 articles and make notes on them: http://www. geographer. pwp. blueyonder. co. uk/woodlandmicroclimate. htm A set of notes specifically on woodland microclimates http://www. slideshare. net/danevs/year-12-microclimate-nutrient-cycling A powerpoint – mainly on woodland microclimates

Chapter 9, Waugh, D. , Geography: An Integrated Approach, 3rd edition, 2002. The whole chapter is good for general theoretical background. Book is in the college library and most of the chapter is available on google books. p. 207 – 208 (solar/terrestrial radiation, albedo effect, reflection & absorption) p. 210 Height above sea level (altitude) and insolation p212 – 213 Aspect and insolation p. 214 defintion of humidity p. 216 Environmental Lapse Rate

p. 217, p. 21 Temperature Inversions & radiation fog p. 240 -241 Mountain and Valley Winds (katabatic & anabatic winds, fohn wind) p. 242 -243 microclimates Also the following general microclimate articles on the VLE should be helpful for background information Geofile: Microclimates Geog Review 2008, Urban Heat Islands Met office: Microclimate Factsheet List any book/article/website authors, titles, publication dates, web addresses for your bibliography. With web address quote date of access.