13.7.1 Where are the world’s rainforests? Rainforests are areas that are constantly wet. More than 1300 millimetres of rain spread evenly throughout the year is needed to support the tropical rainforest ecosystem.
FIGURE2 World rainforest types
A R C T I C
OCEAN
Arctic Circle
EUROPE
AS I A
NORTH
AMER I CA
P A C I F I C
A T L A N T I C
Tropic of Cancer
O C E A N
O C E A N
AFR I CA
Equator
I N D I A N
SOUTH
A T L A N T I C
AMER I CA
O C E A N
Tropic of Capricorn
AUSTRAL I A
O C E A N
Legend
Lowland rainforest
Temperate rainforest
0
2000 4000 km
Montane rainforest
Source: MAPgraphics Pty Ltd Brisbane
SkillBuilder discussion Communication 1. Study FIGURE2 . Decide what it is that makes something ‘a rainforest’. 2. Do you think that all rainforests are the same? Explain. 3. What might it be like in a rainforest?
Tropical rainforests are located on both sides of the Equator between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, where both temperatures and rainfall are high. Montane rainforests are located at elevations of more than 1000 metres above sea level, and lowland rainforests are found below 1000 metres. Temperate rainforests, on the other hand, are located in the temperate zone lying between the tropics and polar regions.
DID YOU KNOW Did you know that rainforests have been described as the Earth’s lungs and are important carbon sinks? They take in carbon dioxide and store it in their leaves, branches and trunk. A by-product of photosynthesis is the production of the oxygen that we breath.
312 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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