The difference in the central measures (median and mean) for rainfall data in the lowlands and highlands can be attributed to several factors related to the geographic and meteorological characteristics of the two regions. Here are some potential reasons:
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Geographic Differences: Lowlands are typically at lower elevations and may have different terrain and vegetation compared to highlands. These factors can affect weather patterns, including rainfall distribution and intensity.
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Elevation Impact: Higher elevations generally receive more precipitation due to orographic lift, where moist air is forced upwards, cools, and condenses into rain. This phenomenon could explain why the highlands have a higher mean rainfall compared to the lowlands.
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Rainfall Patterns: The lowlands may experience rain that is more variable, with more occurrences of light rain, which could lower the mean significantly. In contrast, the highlands might have more consistent and heavier rainfall events that raise the mean.
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Extreme Weather Events: Highlands may experience extreme weather events that contribute to higher total rainfall during short periods, increasing the mean rainfall. If a few storms deliver a lot of rain, it can skew the mean upwards while not significantly impacting the median.
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Data Distribution: The distribution of rainfall data may differ between the lowlands and highlands. If the lowlands have more frequent but lighter showers while the highlands have less frequent but heavier rainstorms, this could lead to a higher median in the highlands as well, which is less affected by outliers compared to the mean.
Overall, geographical features, differing rainfall patterns, and the nature of extreme weather events contribute to the observed differences in both the median and mean rainfall between the lowlands and highlands.