Which effect causes desertification on the leeward side of mountain ranges?

💡 Explanation

When air masses encounter a mountain range, orographic lift occurs because the air rises and cools, precipitating moisture on the windward side, creating a dry rain shadow on the leeward side, fostering desertification. Therefore, the orographic rainfall shadow causes desertification, rather than adiabatic, katabatic, or frontal effects which have distinct mechanisms and different conditions.

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