Amazon

Question 1

How much of south-America does the amazon cover?

Answer 1

40%

Question 2

How many square miles of land does it cover?

Answer 2

2.1 million

Question 3

How much of the Amazon has been destroyed in the past 50 years?

Answer 3

17%

Question 4

How much of the global vegetated carbon stock is stored in the amazon?

Answer 4

17%

Question 5

How is the amazon rainforest a sink for carbon?

Answer 5

Dead Amazonian trees release 1.9 billion tons of carbon and the amazon rainforest annually absorbs about 2.2 billion tonnes

Question 6

What stores does water interlink in the amazon?

Answer 6

Lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere

Question 7

What is the average rainfall in the amazon annually?

Answer 7

2300 mm

Question 8

What happens to rainfall in the Amazon?

Answer 8

1/3 discharged into the Atlantic
50% intercepted
Evaporation from trees/ground
Moisture contributes towards formation of clouds
50-80% of moisture remains in the ecosystems water cycle

Question 9

How does the water in the amazon have global effects?

Answer 9

Moisture created travels around the world
Falls in areas as far away as Texas and forests in south-east Asia
When forests are cut down less moisture enters the air leading to drought

Question 10

What is the main change to the amazon?

Answer 10

Deforestation

Question 11

Why does deforestation take place?

Answer 11

Agriculture- soya/palm/cattle grazing
Logging- timber/pulp
Road building- trans Amazonian highway

Question 12

Example of road building in the amazon

Answer 12

Trans-Amazonian highway
BR163 runs 1700 km from Cuiaba to Santerem

Question 13

Examples of energy development

Answer 13

Hydroelectric power
150 new damns planned for the amazon
Belo Monte dam opened April 2016 and generates 11,000 Mw of power

Question 14

Population increase in the amazon

Answer 14

Settlements eg. Paraupebas an iron ore mining town have grown rapidly which destroys forest.
The population has grown from 154,000 in 2010 to 220,000 in 2012.
The Brazilians Amazon’s population grew by a massive 23% between 2000 and 2010. This is 11% above the national average.

Question 15

What is the current rate of deforestation?

Answer 15

The WWF estimates that 27% of the Amazon biome will be without trees.
Forest losses have averaged around 1.4 million hectares per year between 2001 and 2012.

Question 16

Atmospheric impacts of deforestation

Answer 16

Pasturelands and croplands have decreased water demand, evapotranspiration and canopy interception compared with the forests that replace.
Deforestation since the 1970s has caused an 18-delay in the onset of the rainy season

Question 17

Impact of deforestation on the soils

Answer 17

Without protection from sun-blocking tree cover most tropical soils dry out
Soil Erosion is more likely to occur as the rainfall causes the soil to be leached of the carbon that is stored in it into the rivers.
Soil becomes infertile

Question 18

Contribution to climate change

Answer 18

Deforestation is chasing rainforests like the amazon to turn from carbon sinks to carbon sources.
Forests that experience disturbances store 40% less carbon than undisturbed forests.