Spatial scale
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In the physical sciences, spatial scale or simply scale refers to the order of magnitude of extent or size of a land area or geographical distance studied or described.
| Examples of scales in geography and metereology | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale | Length | Area | Description |
| Micro | 1 m – 1 km | 1 m2 – 1 km2 | local |
| Meso | 1 km - 100 km | 1 km2 - 10,000 km2 | regional |
| Macro | 100 km - 10,000 km | 10,000 km2 - 100,000,000 km2 | continental |
| Mega | > 10,000 km | > 100,000,000 km2 | global |
For instance, in physics an object or phenomenon can be called microscopic if too small to be visible. In climatology, a micro-climate is a climate which might occur in a mountain, valley or near a lake shore. In statistics, a megatrend is a political, social, economical, environmental or technological trend which involves the whole planet or is supposed to last a very large amount of time. The concept is also used in geography, astronomy, and meteorology.
These divisions are somewhat arbitrary; where, on this table, mega- is assigned global scope, it may only apply continentally or even regionally in other contexts. The interpretations of meso- and macro- must then be adjusted accordingly.