ABSTRACT
South-east England is usually regarded as comprising the counties to the south of the Thames, together with most of the Thames catchment itself and Greater London. For the purposes of this chapter, the region also includes much of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and south Essex (Figure 3.1). This is an area of varied topography but modest relief: the highest point is Leith Hill, Surrey, at 294 m. While the physical features might at first seem rather muted, consideration of the region's climate must also acknowledge the degree to which the area has been subject to human settlement and land use change. The relatively high population density influences the demands placed upon natural resources (such as water) and the response of the land surface to extreme climatic events, such as flooding. The spread of urban and suburban landscapes through much of the region in the twentieth century possibly challenges our notions of discrete rural and urban climates.
