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Monteverde is cooler compared to the low lands of Costa Rica as it is approximately 1500 meters above sea level. There are two main seasons in this part of the world, the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy times of year in Monteverde are from June to the end of October (saying that we often have some very nice weeks in July and August). It can also be rainy in other months (which is why the area is so green with so much diversity!). Monteverde Weather can be best described as changeable - wait 5 minutes and it will change again! Read below a more in-depth look at the potential damage to climate changes and the disapperance of the famous Golden Frog.
The Monteverde Climate, like the flora and fauna, is very diverse in Costa Rica and depends on many factors such as solar radiation and the complex topographical relief of the land. There also exists phenomenon like El Niño to further complicate things. With such complicated climate, meteorology is not a fine art in Costa Rica. Suffice to say that in the rainy season it rains about 100 inches and in the dry season (particularly Jan - Apr) there is much less rain.
Pelo de Gato
´Pelo de Gato´is the local name for the fine mist that often can be found in Monteverde, sometimes at the same time the sun is shining: which of course, means we also get fabulous rainbows! The light mist blows in with the trade winds from the west and is one of the essential ingredients in a cloud forest where many plants are arboreal not terrestrial. Such plants depend on a high humidity or mist of precipitation for the nutrients and moisture they carry.
The Monteverde Climate, like the flora and fauna, is very diverse in Costa Rica and depends on many factors such as solar radiation and the complex topographical relief of the land. There also exists phenomenon like El Niño to further complicate things. With such complicated climate, meteorology is not a fine art in Costa Rica. Suffice to say that in the rainy season it rains about 100 inches and in the dry season (particularly Jan - Apr) there is much less rain.
Monteverde Weather and Climate: the Potential Danger of Climate Change
It’s a fact that the Earth is warming; that small changes in the average temperature of the planet is causing global warming which can translate to large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather conditions. Climate change is a significant and lasting change on weather could have a major impact on the environment of Costa Rica, especially in mountain forests such as the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Climate studies predict that the area will become warmer as climate change accelerates.
The biodiversity in Monteverde, Costa Rica, is much higher than in other places of the world and this may well be threatened by the changing Monteverde Weather patterns over the last few years. The oceans have warmed, causing the clouds in Monteverde to form at higher altitudes. As a consequence the amount of mist in the forest is a lot less than it was three decades ago, which in turn will eventually cause a decrease in animal and plant species in the region.
Climate change is expected to seriously affect the nature of the cloud forests of Monteverde. The most damaging aspect will be the reduction of the general cloud coverage. This will result in higher temperatures and cause the humidity of the forest to change and potentially even dry up. This is an alarming theory because cloud forests host a large number of endemic species, as their unique climates and ecosystems create habitats that are not found anywhere else on Earth.
The recent warming has caused changes in species distribution and abundance, but the extent of the effects is not clear yet. Some studies believe that the most damaging change in the forests of Monteverde in recent history is related to the increase in air temperatures caused by high warming of tropical oceans in the 1970’s.
A good example of the consequences of climate change is the extinction of the golden toad. In 1988, the Monteverde Golden Toad was classified as extinct, and scientists attribute that to global warming. They believe that the temperature rose due to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation of tropical forests, and this developed the environment for the growth of a deadly fungus, causing the extinction of this species.
Get Involved! Contact us for Volunteer Information in the Cloud Forests of Monteverde.