The
coast of Peru
Peru
is one of the twelve countries called mega
divers. Together these countries hold about
60 % to 70 % of the world's species diversity.
While the biodiversity of the Peruvian rain
forest is well known, the knowledge about
marine and aquatic habitats of Peru still
is poor. Only so much is obvious that in
these ecosystems still remains a lot to
discover.
©
Heinz Plenge
The
coastal areas
The
reason for the high biodiversity of Peru
is the presence of many different ecoregions.
An ecoregion is a geographical area that
is characterized by homogeneous conditions
of climate, soil, hydrology, flora and fauna.
Five of the eleven ecoregions existing in
Peru are located along the coast:
El mThe
cold sea of the Humboldt current:
a part of the eastern Pacific - about 100 miles
wide - that is influenced by the cold Humboldt
current.
The
tropical sea:
starts at 5º
southern latitude and stretches up to California.
Its characterized by warm water and tropical
fauna.
The
pacific desert:
extends along the Peruvian coast from about
5º
southern latitude down to 27º
southern latitude. While the width of this coastal
desert varies it reaches its maximum altitude
at around 1.000 meters above sea level.
©
Heinz Plenge
The
equatorial dry forest: Growing on
the western slopes of the Andes along the Peruvian
coast with a width of 100 to 150 km in the departments
of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque and La Libertad
till 7º
southern latitude and in the valley of the Río
Marañon till 9º
of southern latitude.
The
tropical forest of the Pacific:
Extends from the northern tip of the
Peruvian coast till Central America. In Peru
it only covers a small area within the department
of Tumbes.
Peru
covers 3.097,5 km of southeastern pacific coastline.
The coastal areas mainly consist of semiarid
regions and coastal desert. Together - with
a width between 40 and 80 km - they cover an
area of 136 370 km2 interrupted by
more than 50 rivers coming down from the Andes.
Generally
the arid deserts are located in altitudes lower
than 100 meters above sea level with an average
temperature between 16 to 23°C.
The semiarid areas are consisting of dry
forests having an average temperature between
18 and 24°C and mountains with an altitude of
around 500 meters above sea level, which are covered
with vegetation and have an average temperature
of 13 to 16°C.
©
Heinz Plenge
A
fog called "garúa" characterizes the
Peruvian coastal desert. During the winter months
the Humboldt Current cools down the warm Pacific
air and this leads to the condensation of the
humidity forming this fog. Some terrestrial
plants have adapted themselves to the desert-climate
and live from the humidity of the fog that condenses
on the surface of stones. These plants form
a special community of seasonal plants called
"Loma-Vegetation".
Marine
areas
The
marine areas along the Peruvian coast are consisting
of the cold Humboldt Current, the tropical sea
and a zone of transition between both of them.
The
waters of the Humboldt Current are relatively
cold with average temperatures between 13 a
14º
C in winter (May to October) and 15 to 17º
C in summer (November to April). The Humboldt
Current moves from south to north and carries
the cold sub-antarctic and subtropical waters
to the coast of Peru causing the low water temperatures.
At 5º
southern latitude the currents starts moving
away from the coast in direction of the Galapagos
Islands.
©
Heinz Plenge
With
its high salinity and the high content of oxygen
and carbon dioxide the current creates special
conditions resulting in a very high productivity
of the system. The marine part of the Peruvian
coast is one of the richest areas of the world
in terms of biomass and diversity. Along the
coastline one can find 900 species of fish,
917 species of mollusks, 502 species of crustacean
and 687 species of marine algae. Many other
groups of marine fauna are still poorly known.
The
Peruvian islands and beaches are inhabited by
birds like the Humboldt penguin or visited by
migratory species. In total one can encounter
175 species of marine birds, 95 of them being
Peruvian species. Some of these are endemic
species like the famous Inca tern (Larosterna
inca). The other 89 species are migratory birds.
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