Amazon Case Study

Question 1

What type of soil is there in the amazon? How thick is it?

Answer 1

Laterite soil
3cm thick

Question 2

How much rain is there in a year?

Answer 2

3000mm

Question 3

What is the climate like?

Answer 3

Warm 26-27 degrees all year
Wet- rain every afternoon

Question 4

Why does the rainforest have a large effect upon the carbon cycle?

Answer 4

-plant growth, lots of photosynthesis = carbon dioxide taken in
- rainforests emit oxygen
-nicknamed ‘lungs of the earth’
-wood is around 50% carbon
-respiration
-decomposition

Question 5

How is the rainforest changing?

Answer 5

-half of all of the rainforest worldwide is gone
-amazon rainforest has lost around 17% of its primary rainforest in the last 50 years
-80% of loss is due to cattle ranching. Other reasons include logging,mining,road building and for housing
-between 2000 and 2007, 19,386km2 was being destroyed per year

Question 6

What are the stages of deforestation? What do these mean?

Answer 6

Degraded= 15% to 25% loss, can still grow back
Deforested= 70% loss, will not grow back

Question 7

How much of the rainfall is intercepted by trees?

Answer 7

75%