Earth’s oldest living ecosystem, commonly known as Rainforests, is complex and beautiful. They house several different species and plants, and some of the rainforests have been here for longer than 70 million years! Even if they cover merely 6% of Earth’s area, they are still wondrous places to visit and learn about.
The name ‘Rainforest’ makes you wonder if these forests experience only the rainy season. And therefore, the question arises: do rainforests have seasons?
Yes, rainforests can experience different seasons and different temperatures as well. However, the temperature ranges and the different seasons that fall upon a rainforest depend on the type of rainforest (yes, a rainforest has different types, too!).
The two types of rainforests:
There are two types of rainforests: temperate and tropical, and they both differ in the temperatures and seasons that fall upon them.
Tropical rainforests:
Temperatures do not vary a lot over the years or even in the day in Tropical rainforests. Where deserts experience very high temperatures during the day and freezing temperatures at nights, temperatures do not fluctuate that much in tropical rainforests. They also tend to stay warm and bloom all year long.
The primary reason for these forests staying warm all year is that they are located near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. That means sunlight shines on the forest head, which traps solar energy in the forest and keeps it warm throughout the year.
Warm air makes the forest environment relatively humid, with a humidity level between 77 to 88 percent. Therefore, tropical rainforests experience high rainfall, averaging from 200 to 1000 centimeters during the year.
The average temperatures in the tropical rainforests are approximately 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. These warm temperatures also allow 40,000 plant species, 3000 different types of fish, 1300 species of birds, 2.5 million various insects, and 427 mammal species to prosper in the rainforest.
You can also watch this video to learn more about rainforests:
Temperate rainforests:
These rainforests are situated in the mid-latitudes, and therefore, they have mild temperatures compared to tropical rainforests. They don’t stay warm throughout the year and experience cool temperatures too. The average temperature in temperate rainforests ranges from 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
As they aren’t close to the tropics, they don’t experience a high surge of sunlight like their counterparts, tropical rainforests. As there is less warm air, there is less humidity and therefore, less rainfall in comparison to tropical rainforests.
They receive an average of 150 to 500 centimeters of rainfall throughout the year, and that too because they reside in mountainous and coastal regions. The rainfall, therefore, is primarily caused by warm and humid air coming from the coasts which is trapped by the mountains.
Temperate rainforests, therefore, experience two types of seasons: a long, wet winter and a short, dry summer.
As a result of mild temperatures in these rainforests, they are not home to diverse flora and fauna like the tropical rainforests. They usually are home to small insects, reptiles, birds, and large mammals.
As you can see, the rainy season isn’t the only season rainforests experience; it depends on what type of rainforest we are referring to!
