So why does it rain so frequently in the rainforests?
- Solar radiation is strongest near the equator
- The equator is mostly covered by water so a large amount of water evaporates
- As air heats it become less dense and rises
- As air rises it cools and water condenses to form rain which is why the tropics are wet
- Air flows from high pressure to low pressure areas
Why do tropical rainforests only exist in areas with high rainfall?
In sum, tropical rainforests only exist in areas of high rainfall, but they also cause more precipitation through transpiration.
What is the average rainfall in a tropical rainforest?
Overview. Tropical rainforests can be characterized in two words: hot and wet. Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F) during all months of the year. Average annual rainfall is no less than 1,680 mm (66 in) and can exceed 10 m (390 in) although it typically lies between 1,750 mm (69 in) and 3,000 mm (120 in).
Why does it rain in the tropics?
As air rises it cools and water condenses to form rain which is why the tropics are wet. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure areas. Hadley cell – system of air and water vapor circulation near the equator.
Why is the Amazon rainforest so important to the world?
Just the Amazon rainforest provides 20% of the world’s oxygen, that that is under half of the world’s rainforest. It also provide two thirds of the world’s fresh water.
Does the tropical rainforest get the most rain?
Rainforests are typically classified by the amounts of precipitation they receive. Lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests receive the most rainfall each year, with averages of more than 80 inches annually. These rainforests are typically located closest to the equator.
Why does it rain so much in the tropical rainforest at the equator?
Near the Earth's equator, solar heating is intense year round. The Sun heats the ocean, evaporating tremendous amounts of water. The sun-warmed ocean heats the overlying air, which rises like a hot air balloon. As air rises, it cools, and water vapor condenses into rain.
What rainforest gets the most rain?
The type of rainforest and its location determines annual rainfall amounts:Equatorial rainforests receive more than 80 inches of rain annually.Montane rainforests and cloud forests obtain up to 79 inches of rain per year.Monsoon rainforests get from between 100 to 200 inches of rain annually.More items...•
Why do tropical rainforests near the equator receive such high amounts of rainfall compared to temperate forests in North America?
These areas receive more sunlight and the amount of sunlight and intensity of the sunlight the tropics receive doesn't vary much in comparison to other parts of the globe. The high temperatures means that evaporation happens at a fast rate, resulting in frequent rainfall.
Why is the rainfall high?
Areas near the equator receive high rainfall amounts because constant solar heating produces intense heating, large-scale evaporation, moist rising air that cools with altitude and forms convectional rainfall. In addition, air masses converge here which results in heavy rainfall.
How often does it rain in tropical rainforest?
The tropical rain forest has downpours at the rate of two inches an hour adding up to some 400 inches of rain per year. It rains a lot in the temperate rain forest, too -- about 100 inches per year....For Students.TropicalTemperateDecomposition raterapidslow5 more rows
Does it rain everyday in the rainforest?
Tropical rainforests are found near the equator. It rains every day and tropical rainforests can get as much as 400 inches of rain each year. The seasons don't change and the average temperature is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. About half of the world's tropical rainforests are in Latin America.
How is the weather in the tropical rainforest?
The average temperature in tropical rainforests ranges from 70 to 85°F (21 to 30°C). The environment is pretty wet in tropical rainforests, maintaining a high humidity of 77% to 88% year-round. The yearly rainfall ranges from 80 to 400 inches (200 to 1000 cm), and it can rain hard.
Which forest receives lowest rainfall?
Deserts receive least rainfall which can be upto 25 centimeter per year which is the lowest of all given options . The rainforest can receive rainfall between 50 to 260 inches per year.
Why does rainfall vary in rainforests?
Since tropical rainforests have so many plants, there's a ton of transpiration. When you get that much water vapor hovering over rainforests, it's bound to rain a lot. The phenomenon can actually be observed as people are cutting down the Amazon.
Why does the tropical desert have the least rainfall?
The resulting cooler, drier air mass moves away from the Equator. As it approaches the tropics, the air descends and warms up again. The descending air hinders the formation of clouds, so very little rain falls on the land below.
Why do the tropics tend to be hot and wet?
As mentioned in chapter 1, the tropics are warm and generally wet because the sun's radiation falls most directly and most constantly upon the equator, thus disproportionally warming Earth in the tropical zone. At the equator, day length is 12 hours throughout the year.
What happens when you get water vapor in the rainforest?
When you get that much water vapor hovering over rainforests, it's bound to rain a lot. The phenomenon can actually be observed as people are cutting down the Amazon. The areas that are getting cut down are actually getting decreased rainfall and humidity. In sum, tropical rainforests only exist in areas of high rainfall, ...
Do tropical rainforests have high rainfall?
In sum, tropical rainforests only exist in areas of high rainfall, but they also cause more precipitation through transpiration.
Where are temperate rainforests located?
These geographic conditions help create areas of high rainfall. Temperate rainforests can be found on the coasts of the Pacific Northwest in North America, Chile, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, and southern Australia.
What are rainforests used for?
National Cancer Institute, 70% of plants useful in the treatment of cancer are found only in rainforests. Rainforest plants are also used in the creation of muscle relaxants, steroid s, and insecticide s . They are used to treat asthma, arthritis, malaria, heart disease, and pneumonia. The importance of rainforest species in public health is even more incredible considering that less than one percent of rainforest species have been analyze d for their medicinal value.
What is the top layer of the rainforest?
The top layer of the rainforest is the emergent layer . Here, trees as tall as 60 meters (200 feet) dominate the skyline. Foliage is often sparse on tree trunks, but spreads wide as the trees reach the sunny upper layer, where they photosynthesize the sun’s rays.
Why are forests important?
Rainforests’ rich biodiversity is incredibly important to our well-being and the well-being of our planet. Rainforests help regulate our climate and provide us with everyday products.
How many species of trees are there in the rainforest?
This makes rainforests astoundingly dense with flora and fauna; a 10-square-kilometer (4-square-mile) patch can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies. Rainforests thrive on every continent except Antarctica.
Where do rainforests live?
Rainforests thrive on every continent except Antarctica. The largest rainforests on Earth surround the Amazon River in South America and the Congo River in Africa. The tropical islands of Southeast Asia and parts of Australia support dense rainforest habitat s.
Which river is home to the most crocodiles?
The Amazon River, for instance, is home to the boto, or pink river dolphin, one of the few freshwater dolphin species in the world. The Amazon is also home to black caimans, large reptiles related to alligators, while the Congo River is home to the caimans’ crocodilian cousin, the Nile crocodile.
Where are the tropical rainforests today?
Most tropical rainforests today are on fragments of the Mesozoic era supercontinent of Gondwana. The separation of the landmass resulted in a great loss of amphibian diversity while at the same time the drier climate spurred the diversification of reptiles. The division left tropical rainforests located in five major regions of the world: tropical America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and New Guinea, with smaller outliers in Australia. However, the specifics of the origin of rainforests remain uncertain due to an incomplete fossil record.
What are the biodiversity levels of tropical rainforests?
Tropical rainforests exhibit high levels of biodiversity. Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests. Rainforests are home to half of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. Two-thirds of all flowering plants can be found in rainforests. A single hectare of rainforest may contain 42,000 different species of insect, up to 807 trees of 313 species and 1,500 species of higher plants. Tropical rainforests have been called the " world's largest pharmacy ", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered within them. It is likely that there may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests.
How hot is the Amazon rainforest?
Amazon River rain forest in Peru. Tropical rainforests can be characterized in two words: hot and wet. Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F) during all months of the year. Average annual rainfall is no less than 1,680 mm (66 in) and can exceed 10 m (390 in) although it typically lies between 1,750 mm (69 in) and 3,000 mm (120 in).
Why are tropical rainforests threatened?
Tropical rainforests are among the most threatened ecosystems globally due to large-scale fragmentation as a result of human activity. Habitat fragmentation caused by geological processes such as volcanism and climate change occurred in the past, and have been identified as important drivers of speciation.
How do indigenous people live in the rainforest?
A variety of indigenous people live within the rainforest as hunter-gatherers, or subsist as part-time small scale farmers supplemented in large part by trading high-value forest products such as hides, feathers, and honey with agricultural people living outside the forest. Peoples have inhabited the rainforests for tens of thousands of years and have remained so elusive that only recently have some tribes been discovered. These indigenous peoples are greatly threatened by loggers in search for old-growth tropical hardwoods like Ipe, Cumaru and Wenge, and by farmers who are looking to expand their land, for cattle (meat), and soybeans, which are used to feed cattle in Europe and China. On 18 January 2007, FUNAI reported also that it had confirmed the presence of 67 different uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 in 2005. With this addition, Brazil has now overtaken the island of New Guinea as the country having the largest number of uncontacted tribes. The province of Irian Jaya or West Papua in the island of New Guinea is home to an estimated 44 uncontacted tribal groups.
How many species of insects are there in a rainforest?
A single hectare of rainforest may contain 42,000 different species of insect, up to 807 trees of 313 species and 1,500 species of higher plants. Tropical rainforests have been called the " world's largest pharmacy ", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered within them.
What is the climate zone of a tropical rainforest?
Tropical rainforest climate zones (Af). Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen rainforest.
What are the characteristics of a tropical rainforest?
Characteristics and climate. A tropical rainforest biome is found in hot, humid environments in equatorial climates. They contain the most diverse range and highest volume of plant and animal life found anywhere on earth. In general, tropical rainforests have hot and humid climates where it rains virtually everyday.
Where are tropical rainforests found?
Tropical rainforest biomes are found in equatorial countries in hot and humid climates. Human intervention has positive and negative consequences for people and this environment. Part of. Geography. Ecosystems.
When is the rainy season in the US?
The rainy season is from December to May. Notice how much the rainfall varies over the year - the highest monthly rainfall is in March with over 300mm, while the lowest is in August with less than 50mm. Over the year, the temperature only varies by 2°C. previous.
Does the rainforest have a hot climate?
In general, tropical rainforests have hot and humid climates where it rains virtually everyday. The level of rainfall depends on the time of year. Temperatures vary through the year - but much less than the rainfall. The graph shows average rainfall and temperature in Manaus, Brazil, in the Amazon rainforest.
How often does it rain in a rainforest?
I live in what you could call a rainforest though it has short dry periods. On average it rains here every 3.5 days year round. Of course we do get long dry spells and weeks of rain too. Our rainfall here is entirely an ocean based phenomena. This is true of all rainforests in the world. Now some are more insistent on raining more than here, but they all share the same features. A wet ocean wind blows much water over the area. In Hawaii they see almost daily rain by the time of day in some locations. In Brazil their weather is wetter but very similar to my spring weather only hotter. The same is true in central Africa.
Where does the rain come from in the Amazon?
While some of this water comes from the Atlantic Ocean, a lot of the rain that falls in the Amazon gets recycled, mainly through evapotranspiration — the transfer of water from the soil and the plants to the atmosphere in the form of vapour. The intense sunlight boosts this process and results in large quantities of water vapour to gather in the form of clouds above the Amazon region.
How does convection rain occur?
Convectional rain is caused by convection, the tendency of warm air to rise and cooler air to sink. In the summer, the sun heating the land makes convection stronger, producing stronger updrafts. Warm, moist air rises rapidly. As air rises, it expands and cools, and the humidity rises. The visible base of a cloud is the point where the rising air cools enough that humidity starts cooling into visible droplets. In mid-summer, these updrafts can be strong enough to produce clouds several
How would the desert change to a rainforest?
Initially flooding as drainage system would be overwealmed. Over time conversion of land from desert to savannah and eventually to rainforest. However this would take Centuries or Milleniums. Deserts do not have rainforest seeds ready to germinate. Additionally rainforest trees would die with direct sunlight. The lack of drainage would drown these seeds. The lack of humus would mean they would not flourish but over time water would gradually result in more luscious vegetation and in a few thousand years Australian desert would be a rain forest.
What is the name of the area where dense multi level vegetation grows in a forest with regular and heavy rain?
So areas in the Tropics ( i.e between the latitudes of 23 deg N and 23 deg S) where dense multi level vegetation grows in a forest with regular and heavy rain are called tropical rainforests .
What causes water to evaporate?
Near the equator. Sunlight heats the ocean’s surface, causing water to evaporate, and also causes the air near the land surface to heat, become buoyant, and rise. As the air containing water vapor rises, it cools, condenses, and rains. The sunlight near the equator is more intense than other places on Earth, causing more evaporation and vigorously rising air, and thus heavier rainfall.
Where does rain come from?
The rain comes from the clouds above the forest, and, as with weather elsewhere on Earth, shifts in weather patterns can bring more or less humid air.
Summary
Overview
Tropical rainforests are characterized by two words: hot and wet. Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F) during all months of the year. Average annual rainfall is no less than 1,680 mm (66 in) and can exceed 10 m (390 in) although it typically lies between 1,750 mm (69 in) and 3,000 mm (120 in). This high level of precipitation often results in poor soils due to leaching of soluble nutrients in the ground.
Forest structure
Rainforests are divided into different strata, or layers, with vegetation organized into a vertical pattern from the top of the soil to the canopy. Each layer is a unique biotic community containing different plants and animals adapted for life in that particular strata. Only the emergent layer is unique to tropical rainforests, while the others are also found in temperate rainforests.
The forest floor, the bottom-most layer, receives only 2% of the sunlight. Only plants adapted to lo…
Ecology
Tropical rainforests are located around and near the equator, therefore having what is called an equatorial climate characterized by three major climatic parameters: temperature, rainfall, and dry season intensity. Other parameters that affect tropical rainforests are carbon dioxide concentrations, solar radiation, and nitrogen availability. In general, climatic patterns consist of warm temperatures and high annual rainfall. However, the abundance of rainfall changes throug…
Biodiversity and speciation
Tropical rainforests exhibit a vast diversity in plant and animal species. The root for this remarkable speciation has been a query of scientists and ecologists for years. A number of theories have been developed for why and how the tropics can be so diverse.
Interspecific competition results from a high density of species with similar niches in the tropics and limited resources available. Species which "lose" the competition may either become extinc…
Human dimensions
Tropical rainforests have harboured human life for many millennia, with many Indian tribes in South- and Central America, who belong to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the Congo Pygmies in Central Africa, and several tribes in South-East Asia, like the Dayak people and the Penan people in Borneo. Food resources within the forest are extremely dispersed due to the high biological diversity and what food does exist is largely restricted to the canopy and requires con…
Conservation
Deposits of precious metals (gold, silver, coltan) and fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) occur underneath rainforests globally. These resources are important to developing nations and their extraction is often given priority to encourage economic growth. Mining and drilling can require large amounts of land development, directly causing deforestation. In Ghana, a West African nation, deforestation from decades of mining activity left about 12% of the country's original rainforest i…
See also
• International Tropical Timber Organization
• List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions
• Palaeogeography
• Rainforest