Insolation differences play a primary role in controlling microclimate and vegetation cover, which together influence the development of topography. Topographic asymmetry (TA), or slope differences between terrain aspects, has been well documented in small‐scale, field‐based, and modeling studies. Here we combine a suite of environmental (e.g., vegetation, temperature, solar insolation) and topographic (e.g., elevation, drainage network) data to explore the driving mechanisms and markers of TA on a global scale. Using a novel empirical TA analysis method, we find that (1) steeper terrain has higher TA magnitudes, (2) globally, pole‐facing terrain is on average steeper than equator‐facing terrain, especially in mid‐latitude, tectonically quiescent, and vegetated landscapes, and (3) high‐elevation and low‐temperature regions tend to have terrain steepened toward the equator. We further show that there are distinct differences in climate and vegetation cover across terrain aspects, and that TA is reflected in the size and form of fluvial drainage networks. Our work supports the argument that insolation asymmetries engender differences in local microclimates and vegetation on opposing terrain aspects, which broadly encourage the development of asymmetric topography across a range of lithologic, tectonic, geomorphic, and climatic settings.

中文翻译：

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全球尺度上地形不对称的气候和生物控制

日照差异在控制微气候和植被覆盖方面起着主要作用，它们共同影响地形的发展。在小规模，基于实地和建模研究中，已经很好地记录了地形不对称（TA）或地形各方面之间的坡度差异。在这里，我们结合了一组环境（例如植被，温度，日照）和地形（例如海拔，排水网络）数据，以探索全球范围内TA的驱动机制和标志。使用一种新颖的经验TA分析方法，我们发现（1）较陡的地形具有更高的TA幅度，（2）总体上，极向地形的平均水平比赤道地形更陡，特别是在中纬度，构造静态和植被景观 （3）高海拔地区和低温地区的地形往往向赤道倾斜。我们进一步表明，不同地形的气候和植被覆盖率存在明显差异，TA反映在河流排水网络的规模和形式上。我们的工作支持这样一个论点，即日射不对称会导致相对的地形方面的局部微气候和植被产生差异，从而广泛鼓励在岩性，构造，地貌和气候环境范围内发展非对称地形。