Final answer:
The answer refers to the "rain shadow" effect, a phenomenon that occurs when moist air ascends a mountain range, resulting in precipitation on the windward side, and then descends as dry air on the other side, causing arid conditions.The correct answer is option D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effect caused by descending, drying air masses that leads to one side of a mountain range having significantly less rainfall than the other is known as the rain shadow effect.
This occurs as moist air is forced up the mountain slopes, cools, and condenses, resulting in precipitation on the windward side. As the air descends on the leeward side, it warms and dries, drastically reducing precipitation and often leading to arid conditions.
For example, the Hawaiian island of Kauai demonstrates this effect with its windward side receiving one of the highest rainfall amounts on Earth, while the leeward side exhibits semi-desert conditions due to the rain shadow effect.
Similarly, the Andes Mountains create one of the driest places on Earth, the Atacama Desert, as they prevent moisture from reaching the western side of South America.
The climate patterns in the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada of North America also show how the rain shadow effect can lead to semi-arid conditions on their leeward sides.The correct answer is option D.