Amazon Rainforest

Question 1

Layers of the rainforests ( High to Low )

Answer 1

Emergent layer - 50m
Canopy - 30m
Under canopy
The forest floor

Question 2

Size of the Amazon rainforest

Answer 2

largest rainforest of Earth
6% of the Earth’s surface

Question 3

Location of the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 3

Along the equator but spreads above and below majority being in the southern hemishpere
In South America
Mostly in Brazil - north west
20 degrees north 20 degress south latitude

Question 4

Climate of the Amazon rainforest

Answer 4

Average temps of 27 degrees C
Average rainfall of 2000+mm

Question 5

Carbon cycle of Amazon rainforest

Answer 5

accounts for around 30 - 50% global photosynthesis

Question 6

Biodiversity of Amazon rainforest

Answer 6

home to 50% of animal and plant species

Question 7

how much water is used by plants and returned to the atmosphere

Answer 7

50%

Question 8

How much water infiltrates into soil

Answer 8

50%

Question 9

How much rainfall is intercepted by vegetation

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

In the last 50 years how much of the rainfall has been lost

Answer 10

17%

Question 11

What % is how much cattle ranching responsible for the lost of Amazon Rainforest

Answer 11

80%

Question 12

Impacts of human activty on the water cycle

Answer 12

reduced evapotranspiration - less precipitation
More soil compaction - increase rates of surface runoff
Rates of runoff will increase - increase flood risk
Soil becoming dry and vulnerable to erosion - limit chances of regrowth
Little interception - leaves ground exposed
Transpiration will be virtually zero

Question 13

Regional impacts of deforestation

Answer 13

Rainfall levels in the wider regions are most likely to reduce - could lead to a 20% decline in regional rainfall if it continues
Air passing over extensive forest produced twice as much rain that air passing over little forest

Question 14

Local impacts of deforestation

Answer 14

Less precipitation
Some cases show an increase in local rainfall downwind
Vegetation breezing

Question 15

What is vegetation breezing

Answer 15

Air over cleared land warms faster rising and creating localised low pressure drawing moist air from forested areas
This casues an increase in cloud coverage over the cleared
This will lead to things like heavy rainfall and thunderstorms causing soil erosion and increased surface runoff

Question 16

How does burning of trees impact cloud formation

Answer 16

Burning produces airborne aerosols which water vapour can condeses around

Question 17

How much more decline in rainfall could future deforestation cause

Answer 17

20% decline

Question 18

Stores of carbon in the Amazon rainforest

Answer 18

Wood is 50% carbon

Question 19

Inputs of carbon in the Amazon rainforest

Answer 19

typical years it absorbs 2.2 billion tons of CO2

Question 20

Outputs of carbon in the Amazon rainforest

Answer 20

typical year it emits 1.9 billion tons through decomposition and organism respiration
some carbon stored in the soil can be removed by streams

Question 21

How much of global terrestrial carbon does the Amazon store

Answer 21

17% of global total

Question 22

How much of global soil carbon does the Amazon store

Answer 22

27% of global total

Question 23

How much of a source of carbon dioxide does deforestation account for

Answer 23

around 10%

Question 24

Since 2000 what has the rate of decline of the Amazon been

Answer 24

0.3%

Question 25

When forests are cleared and burned how much carbon is lost to the atmosphere

Answer 25

30 - 60%

Question 26

How long it take unburned vegetation to decay

Answer 26

within 10 years

Question 27

Impacts of deforestation on carbon cycle

Answer 27

Photosynthesis - stops until new plants Respiration - drops to almost zero Decomposition - Decomposers largely absent Soil sequestration - short term increase of carbon in soil but this will be used up and no source of carbon in the longer term Runoff - some carbon will leave the local system through increased runoff in rivers

Question 28

How much carbon does the Amazon absorb in 2020

Answer 28

1-1.2 billion This is less then what is emitted by latin America countries each year

Question 29

How is the Amazon changing from a sink to a source

Answer 29

Plants are growing faster but are dying sooner Warmer temperatures increase rates of decomposition and respiration

Question 30

A positive feedback loop example for the Amazon

Answer 30

Temp increase - increased evapotranspiration - leads to drought - trees don't have enough water supply - trees start to die - decompositon and less photosythesis - more CO2 in atmosphere - Temp increase

Question 31

Mitigation strategies in the Amazon

Answer 31

Creation of national parks and forest reserves - Para Rainforest reserve Forest biofuel production - compete with ethanol production Reforestation Enrichment of degraded forests National and international agreements - Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation

Question 32

Current mitigation strategies

Answer 32

Soybean moratorium and cattle ranching presecution threat Infigenous land / protected areas Norway - Amazon fund - $1 billion pledged for Brazil's Amazon fund - $670 million paid