Section 03

Rain

Some slopes take well over two metres of rain a year, which is temperate rainforest by any reasonable definition. Air forced up the escarpment cools and drops its water, so the wet side is not a coincidence. What the water builds is a permanently damp litter layer that most of the region’s small animals live inside.

• 03.1Rainforest volumesSome slopes take well over two metres of rain a year, which is temperate rainforest by any reasonable definition.
• 03.2Orographic liftAir forced up the escarpment cools and drops its water, and the wet side is not a coincidence.
• 03.3Wet litterThe damp layer of leaves and rotting wood is the habitat, not the setting.