What is mountain range turbulence caused by?

Mountain range turbulence is primarily caused by wind flowing over a mountain range. As air encounters the mountains, it is forced to rise, leading to variations in the airflow and generating turbulence. This occurs because the wind interacts with the terrain, and as it ascends over the peaks, it can create waves and eddy patterns in the air. The resulting turbulence can vary in intensity depending on factors such as the wind speed, the shape of the mountains, and the stability of the atmosphere.

In contrast, while air density differences, temperature variations, and storm activity can all contribute to various types of atmospheric behavior, they are not the direct cause of the specific turbulence associated with mountain ranges. Air density differences are often more relevant to the formation of phenomena like density currents or the behavior of air parcels, temperature variations relate more to thermal turbulence systems, and storm activity creates a broader weather context, but does not specifically describe how mountain range turbulence originates.