Climate in the Rainforest
Why are rainforests located
near to the equator?
What is the climate like in the rainforest?
Why does it always rain in the afternoon?
Climate of the Amazon Basin
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rainfall in mm
249 231 262 221 170 84 58 38 46 107 142 203
Temp in °C
28 28 28 27 28 28 28 28 29 29 28 28
Task 1. Produce a climate graph of the Amazon Basin using the table above.
What does this graph show? How does it compare with other places?
Manaus Climate Graph
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month
Pre
cip
itat
ion
in
mm
26
26.5
27
27.5
28
28.5
29
29.5
Tem
p i
n
C
What is the climate like in the rainforest?
Look at the climate graph above and describe what the climate is like.
Mention rainfall and temperature.
Why is it hot in the rainforest?
Why is it hot in equatorial regions?
• On the Equator the sun is always (high/low) in the sky. It is overhead at (midnight/midday). The vertical rays of heat have only a (large/small) area to heat up. Temperatures are therefore always high. In places like Britain the sun is much (higher/lower) in the sky. It is (never/often) overhead. The rays of heat have a much (larger/smaller) area to heat up. Temperatures are therefore never as high.
Why is it so wet in the
rainforests?
Convectional rain
Why is it wet in the rainforest?
High temperatures result in heavy convectional rainfall. Annual totals often exceed 2000mm per year. Rain falls throughout the year and spectacular thunderstorms are common.
• Air next to the ground is heated
• Cumulonimbus storm clouds form
• Warm air rises• Heavy rain/thunderstorms• Air cools and
condensation occurs• Sun rises high in the sky
by midday• Sun heats up the ground• Water evaporates from
ground and trees
Put the sentences into the correct
order.Use them to write a
paragraph describing
convectional rainfall
Convectional rainfall?
•Water on the ground or moisture on flora is warmed by the sun, throughout the day. •The air above the land becomes heated.
•This makes the air less dense, so it rises. •As the air rises it cools. •Cool air can not hold as much as warmer air, when the air becomes too cold for the amount of water it holds occurs. The point where this occurs is called the .
•These drops of condensation form into , gradually becoming tall thunderstorm clouds, called . •When these clouds become too big, containing too much water, gravity forces them to release the water in a huge downpour.
dew pointcondensation
water vapour
cloudscumulonimbus
What is the weather like each
day in the rainforests?
What is the daily pattern of weather in the rainforest?
• Due to its latitude, the equatorial climate is hot and wet throughout the year. The weather pattern is almost the same every day.
Watch the following weather forecast
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/
• How long is the forecast?• What weather conditions are mentioned?• How is the forecast broken up/structured?
• Now it’s your turn. Write a weather forecast to be presented on Manaus TV for the weather in the rainforest. See your homework project sheet week 2
Extension workExtension work
1. To create a climate graph for the Birmingham.2. In your book write at least 4 comparisons and
differences that can be seen between the Manaus graph and the Birmingham graph
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rainfall in mm
55 40 45 46 48 55 44 61 55 56 52 61
Temp in °C
7 8 10 13 17 20 22 21 18 14 9 7