In as few as 25 years, climate change could shrink and dry 60-80% of Western Hemisphere cloud forests, finds a study published today. If greenhouse gas emissions continue increasing as they have been, 90% of Western Hemisphere cloud forests would be affected as early as 2060.
What is the cloud forest in Ecuador?
The cloud forests of Ecuador, also termed the pre-montane/subtropical rainforests, cover the slopes of the Andean mountains from about 900 meters to about 2500 meters. They are forests of high biodiversity, with a variety of little-studied wildlife and plants.
What is the climate of the cloud forest?
The climate of cloud forests is highly variable from site to site, with an average rainfall of c. 2000 mm year−1 and an average temperature of 17.7 °C. Cloud forests are found to be wetter (by 184 mm year−1 on average), cooler (by 4.2 °C on average), and less seasonally variable than other montane forests.
Why are cloud forests dying?
SCORES OF animals are close to extinction because the cloud forests of central America are being destroyed through climate change. A study of the endangered Monteverde highlands of Costa Rica has revealed that rising temperatures are causing the moisture-laden mists to disappear.
What might be a threat to cloud forests?
“Habitat loss and degradation by human encroachment are the main threats to cloud forests around the world at the moment,” Ms Ponce-Reyes said. “However, given the narrow environmental tolerance of cloud forests, the fear is that human-induced climate change could constitute an even greater peril in the near future.”
How many cloud forests are there in the world?
736
There are 736 known cloud forest sites across the planet, in a broad range of locations across 59 countries: from 500-meter (1640-foot) altitude hillsides on Pacific Islands to sites at 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) above sea level in the Andes mountains of South America.
Are there forests in Ecuador?
Ecuador is a highly forested country, with an estimated 9.87 million hectares of forest cover (FAO, 2010) from a total land area of 27.7 million hectares, of which 17% is primary production forest. The Ecuadorian government estimated in 2009 that the total forest area was 11.2 million hectares.
Why do clouds form in cloud forests?
As the wind forces the mass of air and water vapor up the side of the mountain, it cools, and the water vapor begins to condense, forming water droplets that appear as clouds.
What is cloud forest ecosystem?
cloud forest, also called montane rainforest, vegetation of tropical mountainous regions in which the rainfall is often heavy and persistent condensation occurs because of cooling of moisture-laden air currents deflected upward by the mountains. The trees in a cloud forest are typically short and crooked.
Are cloud forests warm?
Cloud forests are high-altitude rainforests The mean temperature is cooler than lowland rainforests, with maximum daytime temperatures of about 22°C. Rainfall is heavy and clouds form when warm, moisture-laden air cools and condenses as it is pushed upward by the mountains.
Are cloud forests endangered?
In Earth’s Vanishing Cloud Forests, “Many Species Are Going to Be Lost” Home to a wide range of wildlife, these ecosystems are gravely threatened. But these cloud forests are threatened, research published Wednesday in PLOS One shows, and the creatures that live there will soon be in considerable danger.
Are cloud forests disappearing?
The current cloud and frost environment of the highly diverse alpine ecosystems above these equatorial cloud forests, known as páramo, will nearly disappear. In as few as 25 years, climate change could shrink and dry 60-80% of Western Hemisphere cloud forests, finds a study published today.
