The Climate of the Tropical Equatorial Rainforest
Refers to AQA A2 Geography
Ecosystems: Change and Challenge Option
- Created by: Bethany
- Created on: 18-04-14 17:22
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- Tropical Equatorial Rainforest - CLIMATE
- SEASONS
- Little seasonal variation
- TEMPERATURE
- Mean monthly temperatures barely fall below 25C and rarely rise to above 28C
- A 'dual peak' of temperatures a little further from the equator.
- The daily (DIURNAL) range tends to be higer than the range of monthly average temperatures.
- Temperatures can rise above 30C in the morning or late afternoon when skies are clear after a thunderstorm.
- If the sky is clear, night temperatures may drop rapidly, sometimes to below 20C
- PRECIPITATION
- Rain falls all year round due to the Inter-Tropical Convesion Zone (a low-pressure belt) that dominates atmospheric conditions around the tropics.
- High annual precipitation, often in excess of 2,000 mm per year.
- There is a very short dry season a little further away from the equator, on the fringes of the tropics.
- Low pressure conditions cause the rapid uplift of air, condensing into clouds causing heavy rain in mid-afternooon
- Thunder and Lightening Common
- The day starts and ends with clear skies.
- HUMIDITY
- Humidity is high throughout the year
- The rainforest is so humid it acts as a 'natural greenhouse'.
- It is so humid as continous evapo - transpiration from the huge amount of vegetation adds water vapour to the air.
- WIND
- Little breeze on the forest floor
- Little wind around the equator as trade winds converge.
- DAYLIGHT
- Around the equator, day and night are approximately the same length all year round.
- Dawn arrives as 6am and night falls quickly at around 6pm with little twilight.
- 12 hours of sunlight all year round allow photosnthesis to tak place all year, hence why trees are evergreen.
- SEASONS
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