Prepare two features of each of climate and vegetation found in the equatorial region
Answers
Equatorial Climate
Temperature:
The most outstanding feature of the equatorial climate is its great uniformity of temperature throughout the year. The mean monthly temperatures are always around 80°F. with very little variation. There is no winter. Cloudiness and heavy precipitation help to moderate the daily temperature, so that even at the equator itself, the climate is not unbearable.
In addition, regular land and sea breezes assist in maintaining truly equable climate. The diurnal range of temperature is small, and so is the annual range.
Precipitation:
Precipitation is heavy, between 60 inches and 100 inches, and well distributed throughout the year. There is no month without rain, and a distinct dry season like those of the Savanna or the Tropical Monsoon Climates, is absent.
Equatorial Vegetation
i. A Great Variety of Vegetation:
The equatorial vegetation comprises a multitude of evergreen trees that yield tropical hardwood, e.g. mahogany, ebony, greenheart, cabinet woods and dyewoods. There are smaller palm trees, climbing plants like the lianas or rattan which may be hundreds of feet long and epiphytic and parasitic plants that live on other plants. Under the trees grow a wide variety of ferns, orchids and lalang.
ii. A Distinct Layer Arrangement:
From the air, the tropical rain forest appears like a thick canopy of foliage, broken only where it is crossed by large rivers or cleared for cultivation. All plants struggle upwards for sunlight resulting in a peculiar layer arrangement. The tallest trees attain a height of over 150 feet