Mysteries of the Rain Forest [antikvár]

FOREST RICHES OF THE TROPICS Hot and humid lowlands, cloud-draped mountain slopes and A thunderous roar signals the start of the storm. High above the forest floor, branches are whipped into movement by the wind, and pliant leaves tug at their stems, drawn by die gusting air. At the base of the tree trunks, all is curiously still, almost as though the forest were holding its breath in anticipation. But as the first swollen raindrops beat down on the umbrella of leaves, diere is no corresponding deluge on the forest floor, no cascade of water to reflect the torrent hammering dovm on the canopy, die unremitting curtains of water sweeping the tree tops. Instead, there is a delay. Then, slowly, the water begins to percolate through the spaces in the foliage. It dribbles and drips its way down successive layers of the leafy maze, trickling down the trunks and oozing Storms of Water Dark storm clouds unleash a downpour of torrential rain across the Amazon Basin (below). Forest streams become torrents during the rainy season (right). waterlogged flood plains are some of the varied terrains in the and animal life that scientists are only beginning to expbre. Water is the lifeblood of rain forests everywhere. It tropical rainforests. Even more striking is the variety ofpUint comes almost daily, drenching the trees, and feeding the streams and rivers that permeate the forest. More than lin (2.5 cm) of rain can fall in just 30 minutes. Some seasons are wetter than others, swelling the waterways and flooding low-lying areas of forest, but there is no dry season - the rain falls relent- along stems. Insidiously, water creeps along the forest floor, soaking the leaf Utter and saturating the soil. As die storm passes, stillness and silence descend on the forest, broken only by the gentie tapping of water droplets rolling over the smooth, shiny surfaces of the leaves above and plopping downwards on their hampered journey to the ground. As the sun returns overhead, many of the raindrops evaporate before they reach the ground. Everywhere are vaporous mists rising from the leaves and hanging in the clearings. Gradually, insects resume their humming, whirring, chirruping backdrop of noise. lessly all year round. The Vitalising Rain Much of the rain never reaches the ground at all. It is caught on the forest canopy and held there in mid-air by the multitudes of leaves, while the tropical heat that succeeds the storm turns it into steam. Rising above the forest again, as water vapour, it eventually reaches the cooler air high above the forest, and once more condenses into cloud.