What is the main characteristic of continuous phenomena in GIS?

The main characteristic of continuous phenomena in GIS is that they vary smoothly across different locations. This means that the values associated with continuous phenomena, such as temperature, elevation, or precipitation, change gradually over space rather than being fixed or discrete. For instance, if you were to map temperature across a landscape, you would see a gradient where temperatures rise or fall incrementally based on location.

Continuous phenomena are represented through raster data formats, where each cell contains a value that corresponds to that particular area's attribute. As such, one can see how these values transition smoothly from one area to another, allowing for a thorough understanding of patterns and relationships across the landscape. This contrasts with discrete phenomena, which are characterized by distinct, separate values that do not transition smoothly.

The other options do not accurately describe continuous phenomena. Fixed, unchanging values pertain to static or discrete data, while representing phenomena as static points overlooks the variation integral to continuous data. Additionally, limiting the representation to specific geographic regions does not capture the intrinsic continuous nature that can span wide areas regardless of boundaries.