Rachel Schroeder

Geo 001
Mrs. Presiado
2 July 2015

The Congo Rainforest:

Atmosphere + Climate Zones
(LARGE SCALE)

Above is the large scale map of the Congo Rain forest and its climate zones, and the legend that I
used for all three scales. Like most tropical rain forests, the Congo has equatorial climate,
which means mostly a No Dry Season and minimum monthly rainfall. Equatorial climate, is
climate that is typically hot and moist/wet, with frequent rainfall year round and a no dry season
with little to no noticeable difference between summer and winter. Since the equator runs
through the country of the Congo Basin, the humidity usually ranges between 80-90%. Above at
this large scale, we can see how the three main climate zones are Humid Equatorial Climate-No
Dry Season, Humid Equatorial Climate-Short Dry Season, and Humid Equatorial ClimateLong Dry Season.

http://mapmaker.education.nationalgeographic.com/

(MEDIUM SCALE)

http://mapmaker.education.nationalgeographic.com/
Above in this medium scale, we can see how the Congo Basin, which consists of mainly a no dry
season, is still surrounded by Long and Short Dry Seasons. The Congo Rain forest rains about
117 days out of the year, which is estimated to be about 1766 mm rainfall. Consisting of rivers,
swamps, and savannas, it is a stable region with climate zones staying pretty stable and stable,
even when the seasons begin to change. Temperatures range day to night from about 20-27
degrees Celsius, and the greatest average at nightfall was around 15 degrees Celsius. However,
when moving closer to the Congo River, which is the Earth's second largest river, it can get as
low as 12 degrees celsius.

(SMALL SCALE)

http://mapmaker.education.nationalgeographic.com/
Lastly, above is the small scale, which shows an overview of Africa and where the Congo Rain
Forest is located, as well as giving a comparison to other large rain forests around the globe who
share the same climate zones of equatorial no dry seasons. Rain forests across the globe are
responsible for our Earth's regulation on its climate, with the Congo producing alone 30% of our
Earth's oxygen. Though very humid, the Congo Rain Forest spans across multiple countries
supplying its 10,000 species of plants and wildlife with its lush forests. With the map scaling
above, we can see that though there isnt much variation of climate zones in the Congo Rain
Forest, it is like that for mostly all of the rain forests across the world. Even though South
American, Asian, and other rain forests share the same climate zones, focusing and taking a
closer look at the Congo Rain Forest shows us how rain forests climate is very simple and
consistent almost all year round.

Youtube URL:

http://youtu.be/W4mXMo6ROko?hd=1

More info about the Congo Rain forest:

http://thecongorainforest.weebly.com/environment.html
https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/congo-basin