The rainforest. A vast expanse of vegetation that shelters an immense variety of insects, birds, and other animals, such as monkeys and rodents. Thinking about it is almost like dreaming, because nowhere else on Earth can you breathe clean air while enjoying such a pleasant climate. But did you know that without it, life as we know it would have a very difficult time existing?
It's so important that the rainforest is said to regulate the world's climate . Let's find out why.
Where are rainforests found?
Image – Wikipedia
While they once covered the entire planet, we can now only see them in the region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn . In this area, the sun's rays arrive much more directly and with much greater intensity than in the rest of the world, as it is closer to the Sun. For this same reason, the number of daylight hours hardly changes throughout the year, so the climate remains warm and stable, without a large temperature range.
To see them, we can travel to Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central America, and South America, or more specifically to Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru, or Colombia, among others. Although they only cover 7% of the Earth's surface, they regulate the planet's climate. If you want to learn more about how these areas affect local wildlife, I invite you to read about tropical birds threatened by climate change and their relationship to the climate. Lowland rainforests are also very important ; although different, they fulfill vital functions for the ecosystem.
Why are they said to regulate the climate?
For a raindrop to form, it needs a nucleus to take shape around, whether it's dust from the atmosphere, a sulfur particle from the ocean, or even an airborne bacterium. Tropical rainforests release billions of these airborne bacteria into the atmosphere, primarily through their broadleaf trees . These bacteria seed the clouds, thus generating much of the world's rain. The question is, how?
These bacteria are known to have a protein that freezes water at higher than normal temperatures. Because they can rise with air currents, they stimulate precipitation from clouds at much higher temperatures than usual . Interesting, isn't it? But there's more.
The enormous amount of water vapor transpired by leaves creates clouds, which provide shade to some of the hottest parts of the Earth. This cloud cover reflects much of the sun's heat back into space , thus maintaining a more stable temperature. Furthermore, it's important to highlight that maintaining these areas is crucial not only for the climate but also for global biodiversity, as discussed in the section on forests with the highest biodiversity and their influence on climate. One can also explore how vegetation affects rainfall and, consequently, climate.
For all these reasons, it is very important that we protect them , because it is one of the best ways we have to protect ourselves.
