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Diagram of the water cycle from USGS
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RAINFORESTS HELP MAINTAIN THE WATER CYCLE
Rainforests help maintain the water cycle. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, "the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth."
The role of rainforests in the water cycle is to add water to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration (where they release water from their leaves during photosynthesis). This moisture contributes to the formation of rain clouds which release the water back on the rainforest. In the Amazon, 50-80% of moisture remains in the ecosystem's water cycle.
When the forests are cut down, less moisture is goes into the atmosphere and rainfall declines and sometimes leads to drought.
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All about Rainforests
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FAQs
May I use graphics from mongabay.com for my projects?
Yes, you may provided that you don't remove the mongabay label from the images. You may use information from the site for class projects and can cite kids.mongabay.com as the source.
Can I interview the founder of mongabay.com for my school project?
Unfortunately due to the large number of requests and the need to work on the main mongabay.com site, Rhett (the person who runs mongabay.com) is not available for interviews. However he has answered some common questions on the Rainforest Interview page.
Do you have any games or activities?
Currently there are a few on the resources page. There may be more in the future.
Who are some scientists who study rainforests?
Take a look at the Interviews with rainforest experts page.
How can I help save rainforests?
Some ideas are listed on the Rainforest Solutions page.
Where can I learn more about rainforests?
There is a wealth of information at the mongabay.com's rainforest site
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