Mount Waialeale
MT. WAIALEALE, KAUAI, HAWAII, OCEANIA
in English without the ʻokina, is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. Its name literally means "rippling water" or "overflowing water" [1]
The mountain, at an elevation of 5,148 feet (1,569 m), averages more than 452 inches (11,500 mm) of rain a year since 1912, with a record 683 inches (17,300 mm) in 1982; its summit is one of the rainiest spots on earth.[2][not in citation given] Recent reports though mention that over the period 1978-2007 the wettest spot in Hawaii is Big Bog on Maui (404 inches or 10,300 mm per year).[3]
The great rainfall in the area produces the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve, a large boggy area that is home to many rare plants. The ground is so wet that although trails exist, access by foot to the Waiʻaleʻale area is extremely difficult.
A number of rare local plant species are named for this mountain, including Astelia waialealae, Melicope waialealae, and the endemic Dubautia waialealae.[7]
Several factors give the summit of Waiʻaleʻale more potential to create precipitation than the rest of the island chain:
Its northern position relative to the main Hawaiian Islands provides more exposure to frontal systems that bring rain during the winter.
It has a relatively round and regular conical shape, exposing all sides of its peak to winds and the moisture that they carry.
Its peak lies just below the so-called trade wind inversion layer of 6,000 feet (1,800 m), above which trade-wind-produced clouds cannot rise.
And most importantly, the steep cliffs cause the moisture-laden air to rise rapidly - over 3,000 feet (910 m) in less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) - and drop a large portion of its rain in one spot, as opposed to spreading the rain out over a larger area if the slope were more gradual.
Негізгі бет Mount Waialeale | Kauai | Hawaii | USA , shield volcano with substantial rainfall and waterfalls
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