TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: The Liquid Forest
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Waterways off the Rio Negro in Brazil. (Courtesy of NASA)

Chapter 6:
RAINFOREST WATERS



Tropical rainforests have some of the largest rivers in the world, like the Amazon, Madeira, Mekong, Negro, Orinoco, and Zaire (Congo), because of the tremendous amount of precipitation their watersheds receive. These mega-rivers are fed by countless smaller tributaries, streams, and creeks. For example, the Amazon alone has some 1,100 tributaries, 17 of which are over 1,000 miles long. Although large tropical rivers are fairly uniform in appearance and water composition, their tributaries vary greatly. Many tropical rivers and streams have extreme high and low water levels that occur at different parts of the year.

In addition to rivers, rainforests have conventional, free-standing lakes and so-called oxbow lakes, formed when a river changes course. These lakes are home to species adapted to the quiet, stagnant conditions.

Tropical waters, whether they be giant rivers, streams, or oxbow lakes, are almost as rich in animal species as the rainforests that surround them. But they, too, are increasingly threatened by human activities, including pollution, siltation resulting from deforestation, hydroelectric projects, and over-harvesting of resident species.


Review questions:
  • Why are some of the world's largest rivers found in tropical regions?

[print version | spanish | french | chinese | japanese]


Continued: Rainforest rivers





Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]


Other pages in this section:
- - - - -
Rainforest Waters
Rivers, Streams, & Creeks
Floating Meadows
Importance of Rainforest Rivers
- - - - -
References
Types of Rivers
Flooding, Low, and High Water
Life by the River
Threats to Rivers




Recent news

New species of river dolphin discovered in the Amazon
(4/30/2008) Researchers have identified a new species of river dolphin in the Bolivian Amazon according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). The announcement was made at a conservation workshop in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia.

Judge suspends Amazon dam project due to legal questions
(4/30/2008) A Brazilian judge has issued a restraining order on a controversial dam in the Amazon basin, reports International Rivers, a conservation group.

New expedition seeks evidence for survival of the 'extinct' Baiji
(4/16/2008) The EDGE program, apart of the London Zoological Society, has sent an expedition to the Yangtze River to survey local fishermen for any evidence that the Baiji may still survive.

U.S. flooding to continue well into spring
(3/21/2008) Flooding in the American Midwest is likely to continue, said the U.S. National Weather Service.

Corn ethanol is worsening the Gulf dead zone
(3/10/2008) Proposed legislation that will expand corn-ethanol production in the United States will worsen the growing "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and hurt marine fisheries, report researchers writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).




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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2007

"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site.
Same for "rainforests" and "rain forests". "Jungle" is generally not used.