The Big Bog is a high-altitude bog on the island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, the largest in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located on Haleakala's east

rift zone A rift zone is a feature of some volcanoes, especially shield volcanoes, in which a set of linear cracks (or rifts) develops in a volcanic edifice, typically forming into two or three well-defined regions along the flanks of the vent. Believed ...

, at the border between Hāna Forest Reserve and Haleakalā National Park. It is alleged to be one of the wettest places on Earth, with a reported annual rainfall of for the period 1992-2018 according to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. While the summit of Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Kauai has long been considered the wettest place in the Hawaiian Islands, and was claimed to be the second wettest place on Earth, its NOAA-reported annual rainfall of is exceeded by Big Bog's 30-year average.

Climate

The Big Bog has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Köppen '' Af''), with no observable dry season and nearly constant torrential rainfall. Prior to the establishment of the station there in 1992, rainfall for Big Bog was estimated at around per year. However, the first full year of recorded data showed of rainfall, which is one of the highest annual rainfall totals measured in the Hawaiian Islands. Since then, the annual average has been recorded as . Clear days are essentially nonexistent, and even when it is not raining, it is almost certainly cloudy or foggy. The lack of adequate drainage has caused moisture to accumulate, forming the bog.

Causes

The Big Bog lies at , very close to the trade wind inversion layer, leading to persistent transport of moisture rich air by the northeast trade winds up the steep mountain slopes. These trade winds condense to form clouds and precipitation. Its reputation as the cloudiest place in the Hawaiian Islands is supported by its average solar radiation and potential

evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...

being the lowest amongst recorded locations in the state, and relative humidity and cloud attenuation the highest. Big-Bog-Satellite

References

{{reflist Geography of Maui

Climate

Causes

See also

References