Refining the research topic

Cloud forests are very interesting scientifically. I would like to focus more on the science behind what a cloud forest is and how climate change can and does impact these areas. I am including a plethora of resources along with the quotes I would like to incorporate into the project.

Outline for the field

I would like to learn more about the impacts that are obvious enough for people to see. I would like to interview an employee that has been around long enough to physically see differences in the climate and abundance (or lack of) in wildlife due to climate change. I would also like to ask about changes in the amount of tourism they get each year and if that has a correlation to the climate change effects.

 References and quotes

Reference 1: http://www.monteverdecostarica.com

Quotes:

“A cloud forest is a highland forest characterized by nearly 100% humidity throughout the year. Here in Monteverde, warm North-Easterly trade winds, filled with moisture, blow in over the Atlantic. As the winds sweep up to the Continental divide, they cool and condense to form clouds, bathing the forest in a constant soft mist. The Monteverde cloud forest receives an incredible four meters of rain every year- that is almost twelve feet.”

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Reference 2: http://www.reservamonteverde.com

Quotes:

  • Monteverde houses 2.5% of worldwide biodiversity.
  • 10% of its flora is endemic.
  • Costa Rica represents the 0.03% of the landmass of the planet and has the 5% of the Biodiversity of the world.
  • One of the best examples of sustainable tourism that you can experience.

“Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve’s climate is strongly influenced by air currents saturated with moisture that flow into the country from the northeast (trade winds). As you climb the Tilarán Mountain Range, orographic precipitation occurs as a result of the cooling it undergoes, or fog, which characterizes the main cloud forest in the area. These conditions produce a noticeable tropical rainy climate, where the seasonal variation in temperature and rainfall is minimal; both remain high throughout the year.”

“the warmest months are April with a temperature of 23.7 ° C and May with a temperature of 23.4 ° C, while the coldest months are January with a temperature of 13.9 ° C, and February with a temperature of 13.8 ° C. The average annual temperature is 18.8 ° C. As for precipitation, the institute reported an annual average of 2,579 mm. September and October are the with the most rain (405 mm and 428.6 mm respectively), and March and April, with the least rain (34 , 6 mm and 49.7 mm respectively).”

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Reference 3: http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/monteverdes-cloud-forests.html

Quotes:

(about Santa Elena Reserve) –> “A cloud forest is a high-elevation forest characterized by a persistent, canopy-level cloud cover. These clouds provide the forest with a continual supply of moisture, which supports the fantastic array of plants that live here.

Warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean sweep over the Continental Divide, cooling and condensing to form clouds as they rise. By the time they reach Santa Elena, the clouds are thick and filled with moisture. The forest is thus bathed in a constant supply of mist, which, over the course of a year, amounts to nearly twelve feet of rain.

Not surprisingly, the Monteverde cloud forest is abundant with vegetation. The competition for growing space is so intense that the trunks, branches and even roots of trees are almost entirely covered with other plants – epiphytes, lichens, liverworts, bryophytes, mosses and more. Strong winds and water-laden limbs often cause branches to break and fall to the ground. This not only creates light gaps in the canopy, but also provides the forest floor with added nutrients.”

“Often taking the form of fog, these clouds hover around the upper canopy of the forest before condensing onto the leaves of trees and dripping onto the plants below.

Understandably, the sun has a hard time breaking through this thick veil of clouds. This causes a slower rate of evaporation and thus provides the plants with a bounty of life-giving moisture. This moisture helps to promote a huge amount of biodiversity”

“Cloud forests also tend to host a large number of endemic species, as their unique climates and specialized ecosystems create habitats that are not found anywhere else on Earth.”

“Climate change is expected to seriously alter the nature of these forests. Models suggest that the low-level cloud coverage will be reduced, and as a result, temperatures will go up. This could cause the forests’ hydrological cycle to change and potentially even dry up. This alarming theory gives traveler’s all the more reason to act in environmentally responsible ways both at home and abroad.”

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Reference 4: http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/cf/cf/

Quotes: “Cloud forests, a type of rainforest, occur on high mountains in the tropics, generally between 2,000 and 3,500 meters, and experience very different environmental conditions. As one ascends in elevation, the hot steamy lowlands are left behind and several distinct vegetation zones occur, including lower montane forest, cloud forest or upper montane forest, and even an alpine zone if the mountain is high enough. The height of the trees is much lower, and in fact, the trees usually appear crooked and stunted, due to exposure to wind, sun, and cold. Cloud forests are so named because they are often shrouded in mist and fog. The high moisture level and cool year-round temperatures foster plant communities rich in mosses, ferns, and epiphytes, a habitat that scientists are beginning to study and catalog with increasing interest.”

Selecting a Project Topic

I knew from the first mention of a project that I would want to work on cloud forests. It is the most relevant to my major (atmospheric science), but is also a new area for me seeing as I had no idea they even existed before reading the itinerary!

For those who still don’t know what a cloud forest is (from Wikipedia), “A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level.”

02_cloud_forest

Photo taken from www.colorado.edu

 

What I would like to focus my project on is answering the following questions:

  1. What impacts do our current habits have on these forests?
  2. What ways are the Costa Rican community attempting to preserve the forests, and are they working?
  3. In what ways can we, when back in the U.S., also help to sustain these forests?