Termite Mounds - A 'Solar Lung'

Termite Mounds - A 'Solar Lung'

We found this massive termite mound on the Plenty Highway between our free camps at Arthur River N.T. and The Georgina River Qld

New Research

Termite mounds, amongst other things, are solar powered lungs, harnessing the change in temperature from day to night driving ventilation. Inside the mound there is a large central chimney connected to a system of outer conduits. During the day, the air in the conduits is warmer than the air in the insulated chimney. As a result, the warm air rises, whereas the cooler oxygen rich air in the chimney sinks, driving circulation, (inhale). At night, however, the ventilation system reverses, as the air in the buttresses cools to a temperature below that of the central chimney. This causes a reversal in air flow, in turn, expels the carbon dioxide rich air, a result of the termites’ metabolism, that builds up in the subterranean nest over the course of the day, (exhale).

This is just one of many amazing processes happening within and below these complicated mounds.