Why Air Temperature Decreases with Increasing Altitude

Most people who have ever traveled to the mountains are probably aware that the air tends to be cooler in the mountains than it does in the lowlands. The mountains normally receive significant amounts of snow - unlike the lower elevation areas - which further emphasizes the temperature difference that exists between high and low altitude. But if you were to ask the average person what accounts for this lower temperature profile in the higher altitude areas, you will more than likely get a shrug of the shoulders or a "beats me" response. In fact, before I became such a weather aficionado, I too was clueless as to why temperatures decrease with increasing altitude. But I have learned a great deal of weather-related knowledge during the course of my studies, and I will share some of that knowledge with you now.