THEME 2 - CLIMATE AND VEGETATION
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS:
Tropical rainforest: is a type of forest found near the equator and is wet and warm all year
round
All Tropical rainforests have an equatorial climate
Characteristics of equatorial climates:
● With 5° of either side of the equator
● Over 2000mm of rain per year - humid and damp because of the heat
● Very warm with an average daily temperature of 28°
● Consistent climate - no seasons
Factors influencing equatorial climates:
● Latitude - near the Equator, the sun’s rays hit directly, giving high solar energy
(insolation) and making it hot all year
● Heat and evaporation - strong heat makes water evaporate, adding moisture and
creating heavy rainfall
● Low pressure - low pressure makes warm air rise, cool, condense, form convectional
clouds which cause frequent rain
● Ocean currents and winds - warm seas and moist winds bring more heat and rain
● Altitude and distance from the sea - higher areas are cooler; coastal areas are wetter,
while inland areas are hotter and drier
Soil conditions in tropical rainforests:
● Soil is not very fertile, except for the surface which is nutrient-rich
● Soil is red in colour because it is rich in iron
● Due to heavy rainfall the nutrients are quickly washed out of the soil
Characteristics of an equatorial plant:
● Drip tips: plants have leaves with pointy tips, allows water to run off the leaves quickly
● Buttress roots: large roots with ridges to support large trees
● Epiphytes: plants which live on the branches of trees high up in the canopy
● Thin and tall tree trunks: allow trees to reach the sunlight and let water flow down to
the roots easily
Layers of a forest:
Case study: Manaus, Brazil (Amazon Rainforest)
Manaus is located in the Amazon rainforest, very close to the Equator, giving it an equatorial
climate. It has high rainfall throughout the year (around 2,200–2,500 mm) and no seasons.
Evapotranspiration from the Amazon River and surrounding rainforest adds moisture to the air,
making it very humid. Temperatures are high and stable, usually between 25–30°C, with little
difference between day and night. This hot and wet climate supports dense tropical rainforest
vegetation.
HOT DESRETS:
Hot desert: a type of landscape found near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, which is very
dry and hot during the day, with very little rainfall throughout the year.
Characteristics of hot desert climates:
● Very hot
● Hot days, cool nights - Very high diurnal range
● Very dry with less than 250 mm of rainfall/year
● They still have two seasons - summer + winter
Location of hot desert climates:
● 15° - 30° from the equator
● Found near the Tropics of Cancer and Tropics of Capricorn
★ It is located here because warm, rising air at the equator causes heavy rainfall, and the
now dry air moves towards this area, creating deserts - this is called the Hadley cell
Factors influencing hot desert climates:
● Latitude - usually near the Tropics, where the sun is strong, producing high
temperatures all year
● Pressure - high-pressure zones cause air to sink, creating dry, cloudless conditions
(hadley cell)
● Winds - strong, dry winds in deserts increase evaporation and remove moisture from
the land, making the climate even drier
● Proximity to the sea - being far from the ocean reduces moisture in the air, making the
climate drier.
● Ocean currents - cold ocean currents can reduce rainfall by cooling the air and limiting
evaporation
● Cloud cover - hot deserts have very little cloud cover, so most of the sun’s heat reaches
the ground, making days extremely hot and nights very cold
➥ Nights are cold in hot deserts because there is very little cloud cover and dry air. Clouds
normally trap heat (like a blanket), but in deserts, the heat absorbed by the ground during the
day escapes quickly at night, and dry air doesn’t hold heat well, so temperatures drop sharply
Soil conditions in hot deserts:
● Desert soils are thin, sandy, rocky and generally grey in colour
● Desert soils are very dry
● As the water evaporates, salts are left behind on the surface of the soil
Characteristics of a hot desert plant:
● Thick, waxy skin: to reduce loss of water and to reflect heat
● Large, fleshy stems/leaves: to store water
● Spikes: to reduce water loss from animals
● Deep roots: to tap groundwater
Characteristics of a hot desert animal:
Example - a camel:
Case study: Sahara desert
The Sahara Desert is located in North Africa, between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator,
giving it a hot desert climate. It experiences very little rainfall throughout the year and has
extremely high daytime temperatures, often above 40°C. Nights can become very cold due to
dry air and little cloud cover, which allows heat to escape. Winds are hot and dry, increasing
evaporation and keeping the land arid. The desert’s climate results in sparse vegetation and
mostly barren landscapes.
CASE STUDIES:
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS - THE AMAZON RAINFOREST:
Climate High temperatures and abundant rainfall
Plant adaptations Buttress roots + Epiphytes
Animal adaptations Canopy dwellers + camouflage
Soil Fertile + nutrient-rich
Impacts for climate change Carbon sink + Deforestation threat
HOT DESERTS - THE SAHARA DESERT:
Climate Extreme heat and aridity
Plant adaptations Xerophytes (conserve water) + deep roots
Animal adaptations Nocturnal behaviour + water conservation
Soil Sandy, gravel plains and rocky retain
Impacts for climate change Dust storms + feedback loops
READING CLIMATE GRAPHS:
Amazon rainforest:
Temp. - One pattern is that the temperature is constant and linear throughout the whole year.
The highest is in August at 28°C and the lowest in January and June at 27°C.
Rainf. – The rain is at its highest in April at around 295mm and lowest rainfall is in August at
around 55mm. Its overall pattern fluctuates, however from March to August there is a constant
decrease and from August to December an increase.
Sahara desert:
Temp. - One pattern is the increase in temperature from 12°C in January to 20°C in July on
average, then the temperature decreases to 12°C in December. However, from November to
December there is a slight increase in temperature.
Rainf. – One pattern is the increase in rainfall is the two peaks, in April at around 30mm and
August at 55mm, then the rainfall decreases to its lowest in October at around 2mm. However,
throughout the year the amount of rainfall fluctuates and there is no fixed pattern.
DEFORESTATION:
- Rain forests have existed on Earth from over 70 million years ago
Functions of a rainforest:
● Absorb solar radiation and CO2
● Stabilizes the planet’s climate
● It holds 40% of the planet's breathable air
● Habitats for animals
● Food and material production
CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION:
Causes Explanation
Farming Involves clearing land for cattle ranching. Land is also cleared for
cash crops (eg. palm oil and soya plantations)
Road construction Involves clearing rainforests to make ways for new transport
networks. It allows people to enter and raw materials to leave
Logging Involves cutting down trees to meet growing demand (of furniture
and building materials)
Settlement growth Population pressures (from growth and migration) means that more
people are seeking land
Hydro-electric power Involves constructing a dam across a river to generate renewable
(HEP) energy. The reservoirs often flood large areas of cleared forest
behind the dam
Mining Involves large scale deforestation to create mines for mineral
extraction.
IMPACTS OF DEFORESTATION:
ENVIRONMENTAL:
● Nutrients removed from ecosystems
● Global warming increases - fewer trees means more atmospheric CO2
● Lack of tree canopy to intercept rainfall - more surface runoff and flooding
● Lack of trees means no roots to hold the soil together, heavy rain washes away nutrients
● Habitat loss reduces biodiversity and some species could be endangered or extinct
● Evapotranspiration is reduced - less water vapour reaches the atmosphere
ECONOMIC:
● Logging, farming and mining create jobs
● A lot of income from selling raw materials
● Long term, deforestation destroys the resources that countries depend on
SOCIAL:
● Better quality of life as there are more jobs
● Traditional livelihoods of some people have been destroyed
● Conflicts arise between native people, land owners and mining/logging companies
● Local people are at risk of diseases brought by western newcomers
● Native tribes forced to move when their land is cleared