why are rainforests near the equator

Why Are Rainforests Near The Equator?

Tropical rainforests are found near the equator due to the amount of rainfall and the amount of sunshine these areas receive. Fifty seven percent of all tropical rainforests are found in Latin America.

Where are rainforests located near the equator?

Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator (Zero degrees latitude), mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). This 3,000 mile (4800 km) wide band is called the “tropics.”

Are most rainforest near the equator?

There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. Tropical rainforests are found closer to the equator and temperate rainforests are found farther north near coastal areas.

What type of climate do rainforests near the equator have?

Because tropical rain forests lie near the equator, the days do not get shorter in winter and longer in summer. … The climate in tropical rain forests is constantly warm and moist. The average rainfall in most rain forests is very heavy, about 200–450 centimeters (80–180 inches) per year.

Where are rainforests located?

Tropical rainforests are mainly located between the latitudes of 23.5°N (the Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5°S (the Tropic of Capricorn)—the tropics. Tropical rainforests are found in Central and South America, western and central Africa, western India, Southeast Asia, the island of New Guinea, and Australia.

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

Why is the equator hot?

Why is it hot at the Equator and cold at the poles? Due to the tilt of the Earth, the Equator is closer to the sun so receives more of its energy. The Equator has a smaller surface area so heats up quickly compared to the poles. … This means more heat from the sun makes it to the surface of the Earth.

Why do we have such wet biomes at the equator and at 60 latitude?

Biomes located in the high latitudes (60° to 90°) farthest from the Equator (taiga and tundra) receive the least amount of sunlight and have lower temperatures. … In the low latitudes, the air is warm, due to the amount of direct sunlight, and moist, due to evaporation from warm sea waters and ocean currents.

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.

Where are rainforests located and why?

Rainforests are found in the tropics, the region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, just above and below the Equator. In this tropic zone the sun is very strong and shines about the same amount of time every day all year long, keeping the climate warm and relatively stable.

Why are tropical rainforests?

As well as the vivid beauty that comes with great diversity in plants and animals, rainforests also play a practical role in keeping our planet healthy. By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing the oxygen that we depend on for our survival. The absorption of this CO2 also helps to stabilize the Earth’s climate.

Why are there no rainforests in Antarctica?

A new paper reveals that the frozen continent of Antarctica was once a temperate rainforest. This dramatic difference in climate was due to high levels of CO2 that managed to maintain mild weather even through months when the sun didn’t shine on this part of the world.

Which biomes would be found nearest to the equator?

Tropical rainforests are found closer to the equator where it is warm.

Which of the biomes is most likely to be located near the equator?

Tropical Forest Biomes

Tropical forests are found in areas centered on the equator (Figure 4).

How does the location of tropical rainforests affect the climate?

Rainforests, like all forms of vegetation, affect the “surface albedo” or reflectivity of a surface by absorbing more heat than bare soil. In turn, this warm carries moisture from forest trees into to atmosphere, where it condenses as rain. In other words, tropical forests cool local climate and help generate rainfall.

What is the climate of rainforests?

Tropical rainforests are lush and warm all year long! Temperatures don’t even change much between night and day. 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.

What are the 5 major rainforests?

This article focuses specifically on the world’s tropical rainforests. The following charts show the extent of primary forest cover and tree cover in the tropics for the world’s five largest blocks of rainforest: Amazon, Congo, Australiasia, Sundaland, and Indo-Burma.

Where are the 7 temperate rainforests located?

Temperate rain forests only occur in 7 regions around the world – the Pacific Northwest, the Validivian forests of southwestern South America, the rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania, the Northeastern Atlantic (small, isolated pockets in Ireland, Scotland, and Iceland), southwestern Japan, and those of the eastern …

What is special about the equator?

It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole, at 0 degrees latitude. An equator divides the planet into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere. The Earth is widest at its Equator. … The Earth’s diameter is also wider at the Equator, creating a phenomenon called an equatorial bulge.

Why does the equator not have seasons?

At the equator there are no seasons because each day the Sun strikes at about the same angle. Every day of the year the equator receives about 12 hours of sunlight. The poles remain cool because they are never tilted in a direct path of sunlight. … The sun never rises!

Why does the equator receive the most sunlight?

Because the sun’s rays hit the earth’s surface at a higher angle at the equator. … Because the sun is always directly overhead at the equator.

What biome has 4 seasons?

Temperate deciduous forestsTemperate deciduous forests are most notable because they go through four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Leaves change color (or senesce) in autumn, fall off in the winter, and grow back in the spring; this adaptation allows plants to survive cold winters.

Are deserts close to the equator?

(Deserts do not occur near the Equator, tropics occur there). Higher in the atmosphere, the now cold, dry air rises and moves away from the equator. … As it warms, the air expands, condensation and precipitation are infrequent. (Horse latitudes).

Why do you think there is no taiga biome in the Southern Hemisphere?

The taiga is nowhere in the southern hemisphere, since there is no mass of mainland at the appropriate latitudes. In the northern hemisphere, instead, the taiga forms an uninterrupted belt all around the world, from Scandinavia to Asian Siberia and Canada.

Which country has rainforest?

The largest rainforests are in the Amazon in Brazil (South America), Demographic Republic of Congo (Africa) and Indonesia (South East Asia). Tropical rainforests are also found in Hawaii and the islands of the Pacific & Caribbean.

Where is the tropical rainforest located in Africa?

Congo river basinMost of Africa’s remaining rainforests are found in the Congo river basin on the Atlantic Ocean side of the continent. The Congo rainforest is famous for its gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants as well as its native population of forest dwellers known as pygmies.Jul 16, 2020

Why the rainforest is in danger?

Logging interests cut down rain forest trees for timber used in flooring, furniture, and other items. Power plants and other industries cut and burn trees to generate electricity. The paper industry turns huge tracts of rain forest trees into pulp.

What would happen if there were no rainforests?

More flooding

Already the Amazon is seeing reduced rainfall by some 25 percent in some regions, and when rains do arrive they result in massive amounts of flooding. This scenario—drier and longer dry spells followed by increasing upticks in flooding— would only intensify if the rainforest were to disappear.

Why is a rainforest called a rainforest?

A Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle. The reason it is called a “rain” forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year. The climate of a rain forest is very hot and humid so the animals and plants that exist there must learn to adapt to this climate.

Why do rainforests grow where they do?

Tropical rainforests are found near the equator due to the amount of rainfall and the amount of sunshine these areas receive. Most tropical rainforests fall between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. … The high temperatures means that evaporation happens at a fast rate, resulting in frequent rainfall.

What would happen if Antarctica melts?

If all the ice covering Antarctica , Greenland, and in mountain glaciers around the world were to melt, sea level would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The ocean would cover all the coastal cities. And land area would shrink significantly. … Ice actually flows down valleys like rivers of water .

What froze Antarctica?

The polar ice caps melted for a while after that and it wasn’t until Africa and Antarctica separated around 160 million years ago that it began to cool again. By 23 million years ago, Antarctica was mostly icy forest and for the last 15 million years, it has been a frozen desert under a thick ice sheet.

Did rainforests once existed in Antarctica?

Scientists have discovered remnants of a swampy temperate rainforest that thrived in Antarctica about 90 million years ago. … Ninety million years ago, this West Antarctic forest was just 560 miles (900 km) from the then-South Pole. Yet its climate was surprisingly mild.

How do you tell if a biome is close to the equator?

Back to top button