In general, climate conditions near the ground are called microclimates. More specifically, microclimate refers to the climate characteristics of highly localized areas, ranging from the area around an individual plant to a field of crops or a small forested area. The horizontal area considered may be less than one square meter or up to several thousands of square meters. The vertical extent may range from a few centimeters involving the still layers of air within a plant canopy, for instance, to 100 meters or more, when the atmosphere surrounding a forested area is studied.

Microclimates are governed to a large extent by the interactions of surface features with the overlying atmosphere, and their characteristics may differ markedly from those of the surrounding large-scale climate. Microclimates exhibit great ranges in environmental conditions depending on the moisture and radiation properties of the surface. They typically show large diurnal temperature ranges and are highly influenced by slope, aspect, and elevation. Most plants and animals are adapted to highly specific microclimatic conditions.