Barro Colorado Island
Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing
Barro Colorado Iceland is an artificial island, formed by the damming of the Panama Canal in 1914. BCI is 15 km ² also the largest island in Gatúnsee, which is part of the Panama Canal in the central interior of Panama.
The island is full of tropical rain forest (semi- humid deciduous forest ) covered, and is managed since 1946 in accordance with bilateral agreements of the Smithsonian Institution. From 1923, when the island was designated a biological reserve, until 1946, BCI has been managed by the National Academy of Sciences. Meanwhile Barro Colorado Iceland is considered the best-researched tropical ecosystems worldwide.
Barro Colorado is protected as a natural monument. The island is home to only a police post and a research station of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ( STRI ), on the spread over the year approximately 200 international scientists.
Geography and Geology
The name of Barro Colorado comes from Spanish and means something like red clay. The name thus describes soil color and soil type, which is prevalent in many parts of BCI.
The highest point of the island is 165 m above sea level and 140 m above the Gatùnsees. The relief has a gentle slope, which is only a few places steeper than 10 °.
The few clues that can be found on BCI, are usually in creek beds. The rock formations dating to the early Oligocene. Overall, three formations on BCI can be differentiated:
- Bohio
- Andesite
- Caimito ( with volcanic and marine facies as origin)
The Bohio - rock layer serves the other two formations as a basis and is also the oldest of the three (early Oligocene ).
Climate
From May to November learns BCI, like the rest of Panama, a rainy season, which usually reaches its peak in October / November. The rest of the year ( December to April) the dry season.
The temperature varies over the year, between 21 ° C and 32 ° C. The relative humidity ranged between 88 % in 1926 (June, July, August) and 77 % ( January, February, March). According to Köppen BCI lies in the Am- zone ( rainforest climate despite a drying time )
Vegetation
The forest on BCI, half of primary forest with an age of about 200-400 years. The other, the Panama Canal facing half consists of secondary forest, which is significantly younger by 100 years. This is attributed to deforestation and agriculture, which was operated there before the Gatúnsee was dammed.
7% of the 1314 plant species on BCI, have their distribution area alone in Panama.