Koppen–Geiger Climate Classification for South America
The Amazon River Basin is home to the Amazon Rainforest, a tropical rainforest. The location of the Amazon Rainforest roughly corresponds to the dark blue zone shown in Figure 5.4, straddling the Equator. Given its proximity to the Equator, it is not surprising that it is a tropical rainforest with hot, humid conditions and an average annual rainfall that ranges from 1.5 to 3 m.
The warm, equatorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean are the source of this moisture-laden air which is drawn inland, making its way all the way to the Andes Mountains in the west. Interestingly, there is a connection between the Amazon Rainforest and the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Some of the dust from the Sahara is blown west and deposited in the Amazon, where it fertilizes plant life.
Figure 5.4 Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification for South America
Source: Beck, H.E., Zimmermann, N. E., McVicar, T. R., Vergopolan, N., Berg, A., & Wood, E. F., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_South_America_present.svg
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