Amazon

Question 1

Factors affecting flow of the Amazon

Answer 1

Climate
Seasonality
Human influence

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

Amazon river flows through the Amazon rainforest where the climate = tropical
Amazon has a relatively consistent high temperature + rate of precipitation there’s some seasonal precipitation that leads to a lower river discharge
Temp + high biodiversity leads to very high levels of evapotranspiration

Question 3

Seasonality

Answer 3

Consistent temp + rainfall create a largely consistent river flow. Some lower rainfall in September + December leads to a lower river flow
La Niña + El Niño years also produce changes in rainfall which affects river discharge levels

Question 4

Human influences

Answer 4

Deforestation affects interception, infiltration, surface runoff —> inc the flow
Large dams used by Brazilian cities for both hydroelectrc power + irrigation can cause more discharge above the dam + reduced flow below the dam