Knowra Cloud forest Cloud forest A montane forest frequently enveloped in low cloud or mist. Persistent atmospheric moisture supports distinctive communities of moisture-dependent plants and animals.
Orographic lift : The upward movement of air forced by terrain, often cooling it enough to form clouds or precipitation. Mountain slopes lift moist air into the clouds that bathe these forests.
Watershed : An area of land that drains rainfall and streams to a common outlet. Cloud forests often store and release water into downstream watersheds.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve : A protected area in Costa Rica renowned for its tropical montane cloud forest and biodiversity. Monteverde is a celebrated example of cloud-forest conservation and ecological research.
Climate change : Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, driven largely by human greenhouse-gas emissions today. Warming can lift cloud bases and alter the moisture regime on which these forests depend.
Cloud forest boundary : The transition between cloud forest and neighboring vegetation along elevation or climate gradients. Cloud immersion varies over time, making the ecosystem’s lower and upper limits difficult to map.
Horizontal precipitation : Water deposited on land when fog or cloud droplets collide with surfaces and condense or drain. Leaves and branches capture cloud droplets, adding moisture beyond rainfall.
Ecosystem services : Benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including resources, regulation, and cultural value. Water regulation and habitat are among cloud forests’ direct benefits.
Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena : A cloud-forest reserve in Costa Rica’s Tilarán Mountains, near Monteverde. Its community-managed reserve offers a distinct local case in the same mountain region.
Deforestation : The permanent removal of forest cover, usually through conversion to other land uses. Clearing reduces habitat and can disrupt cloud interception and local water cycles.
Cloud forest microclimate : The fine-scale temperature, humidity, light, and wind conditions within a cloud forest. Canopy and terrain create local conditions that broad climate records often miss.
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