What is a tropical rainforest and how do they make clouds? Maddie Moate and Greg Foot visit the world’s largest indoor tropical rainforest at The Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom. There, while crossing the project’s cloud bridge and climbing above the forest canopy, they explain how trees transport water from the damp soil to the treetops and leaf tips where it evaporates into vapor, rises, and condenses back into tiny liquid droplets.
Built in a reclaimed Kaolinite quarry, The Eden Project is home to temperate outdoor gardens and two indoor biomes housed in giant geodesic domes, one mediterranean and one tropical in climate:
The Tropical Biome, covers 1.56 ha (3.9 acres) and measures 55 m (180 ft) high, 100 m (328 ft) wide, and 200 m (656 ft) long. It is used for tropical plants, such as fruiting banana plants, coffee, rubber and giant bamboo, and is kept at a tropical temperature and moisture level.
Huge Santa Cruz water lilies (Victoria cruziana) and the rare and endangered Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) can be found there among around two million other plants:
Wildlife helpers keep pests in balance within the ecosystem, allowing the environmentally friendly project to avoid the use of chemicals:
Learn more at edenproject.com.
Next: The Basics of Freshwater, Why Most Rain Never Reaches The Ground, and How Do Trees Transport Water from Roots to Leaves?Bonus: How to Make a Cloud in Your Mouth.
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