Vertical Profiles of Environmental Factors within Tropical Rainforest, Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

Environmental factors, such as global solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, were measured above and within the canopy of a tropical rainforest in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Few data concerning the environment of this forest have been reported. Intensive observations were carried out in 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the following results: (1) The fraction of global solar radiation reaching the upper layer of the canopy varied with global solar radiation above the canopy. Even though the global solar radiation above the canopy fluctuated, the fraction of that reaching the lower canopy and the ground was constantly approximately 5%. (2) The fraction of wind speed reaching each layer of the canopy increased with wind speed above the canopy. Little wind was usually present at the lower canopy. (3) The daytime air temperature at the canopy top was higher than that near the ground. The maximum difference between the air temperature at the canopy top and that at the ground was about 5°C, and the diurnal temperature ranges at the canopy top and those at the ground were about 8°C and about 5°C, respectively. The highest daytime water vapor pressure occurred within the canopy and particularly near the ground. Vertical gradients of water vapor pressure during the day were steep, probably because of high transpiration. (4) In the 1998 observation the minimum and the maximum CO2 concentrations were 360 ppm in the day and 450 ppm at night, while in the 2000 observation the minimum and the maximum CO2 concentrations were 350 ppm in the day and 540 ppm at night. The higher CO2 concentration in the daytime and the lower concentration at night observed during the 1998 observation period were probably due to reduced photosynthesis and soil respiration caused by exceptional dry conditions during the observation period.