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17-406: The park was created by Supreme Chilean Decree N° 734, in 1982. Its surface area has been reduced by more than 45 km (17 sq mi) by populated land that was initially in the protected area. The climate is wet and temperate, with average annual temperatures of 11 °C (52 °F) and abundant precipitation distributed uniformly throughout the year, varying according to the altitude. On

34-399: A broad "shadow" of dry climate region behind the mountain crests . This climate typically takes the form of shrub–steppe , xeric shrublands or even deserts . The condition exists because warm moist air rises by orographic lifting to the top of a mountain range. As atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the air has expanded and adiabatically cooled to the point that

51-413: A number of effects, including precipitation, rain shadowing, leeward winds, and associated clouds. Precipitation induced by orographic lift occurs in many places throughout the world . Examples include: The highest precipitation amounts are found slightly upwind from the prevailing winds at the crests of mountain ranges, where they relieve and therefore the upward lifting is greatest. As the air descends

68-565: Is carried over the mountain by strong winds that increase in strength with height. Moisture is removed and latent heat released as the air mass is orographically lifted. As the air mass descends, it is compression heated. The warm foehn wind , locally known as the Chinook wind , Bergwind or Diablo wind or Nor'wester depending on the region, provide examples of this type of wind, and are driven in part by latent heat released by orographic-lifting-induced precipitation. A similar class of winds,

85-672: Is notable that whales often enter into narrow fiords either to feed or rest. This area is also an important habitats for other whale species such as humpbacks , finbacks , seis , and possibly for critically endangered, only around 30 animals-remaining Peru /Chilean stock of southern right whales as well. Whales can also be observed close to shore in southern side of the island, such as near Caleta Zorra . The park has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of Chilean pigeons , slender-billed parakeets , black-throated huet-huets and chucao tapaculos . Translated from

102-740: The Southern Hemisphere . The westerlies are the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude , blowing predominantly from the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere. Some of the strongest westerly winds in the middle latitudes can come in the Roaring Forties of the Southern Hemisphere, between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. Examples of notable rain shadowing include: On

119-683: The Pacific coast over 3,000 mm (120 in) fall annually, while in the higher elevations of the Piuchén, nearly 5,000 mm (200 in) fall, and on the rain-shadowed eastern slopes, as little as 2,500 mm (98 in) in annual precipitation is measured. The predominant vegetation is that of the Valdivian forest , a dense forest formed by perennial trees, shrubs and climbing plants. The rainforests are made up of evergreen southern beech ( Nothofagus ), and some native conifers, including

136-503: The Spanish site (see interwiki link). Rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds , known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes ) is carried by the prevailing onshore breezes towards the drier and hotter inland areas. When encountering elevated landforms ,

153-783: The West Coast: Most rain shadows in the western United States are due to the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and Cascade Mountains , mostly in Oregon and Washington . The Colorado Front Range is limited to precipitation that crosses over the Continental Divide . While many locations west of the Divide may receive as much as 1,000 millimetres (40 in) of precipitation per year, some places on

170-484: The air reaches its adiabatic dew point (which is not the same as its constant pressure dew point commonly reported in weather forecasts). At the adiabatic dew point, moisture condenses onto the mountain and it precipitates on the top and windward sides of the mountain. The air descends on the leeward side, but due to the precipitation it has lost much of its moisture. Typically, descending air also gets warmer because of adiabatic compression (as with foehn winds) down

187-471: The eastern side, notably the cities of Denver and Pueblo, Colorado , typically receive only about 12 to 19 inches. Thus, the Continental Divide acts as a barrier for precipitation. This effect applies only to storms traveling west-to-east. When low pressure systems skirt the Rocky Mountains and approach from the south, they can generate high precipitation on the eastern side and little or none on

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204-810: The largest scale, the entirety of the North American Interior Plains are shielded from the prevailing Westerlies carrying moist Pacific weather by the North American Cordillera . More pronounced effects are observed, however, in particular valley regions within the Cordillera, in the direct lee of specific mountain ranges. This includes much of the Basin and Range Province in the United States and Mexico . The Pacific Coast Ranges create rain shadows near

221-402: The lee side of the mountain, it warms and dries, creating a rain shadow. On the lee side of the mountains, sometimes as little as 15 miles (25 km) away from high precipitation zones, annual precipitation can be as low as 8 inches (200 mm) per year. Areas where this effect is observed include: Downslope winds occur on the leeward side of mountain barriers when a stable air mass

238-470: The leeward side of the mountain, which increases the amount of moisture that it can absorb and creates an arid region. There are regular patterns of prevailing winds found in bands round Earth's equatorial region. The zone designated the trade winds is the zone between about 30° N and 30° S, blowing predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in

255-621: The magnificent alerce ( Fitzroya cupressoides ). Extensive bogs and swamps are found in the hills. The Chilean rhubarb is also very common. The feature that made the island of Chiloe and the Gulf of Corcovado world-famous is the presence of local population of pygmy blue whales (The Cetacean Conservation Center carries out the Blue Whale Project ). There are only 4 or more known forging grounds of them and blue whales in Southern Hemisphere including Chiloe region. In this area, it

272-480: The moist air is driven upslope towards the peak , where it expands, cools, and its moisture condenses and starts to precipitate . If the landforms are tall and wide enough, most of the humidity will be lost to precipitation over the windward side (also known as the rainward side) before ever making it past the top. As the air descends the leeward side of the landforms, it is compressed and heated, producing foehn winds that absorb moisture downslope and cast

289-424: The western slope. Further east: Orographic lifting Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain . As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically , which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions, precipitation . Orographic lifting can have

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