Amazon Rainforest Flashcards
Details
Covers 40% of South America’s landmass.
1 million plant species
Relation to water cycle
The rainforest is very wet - somewhat due to the extensive evaporation over the Atlantic ocean, with the wet air blown towards the Amazon causing high levels of rainfall.
Evaporation very high - due to warm temperatures, increasing evaporation and therefore rainfall.
Interception very high - due to dense canopy and extensive forest cover, less water flows into rivers whilst the canopy cover protects the soil structure from damage.
Water cycle shapes impacts the rainforest ecosystem - populated with species that are adapted to high humidity and frequent rainfall.
Relation to carbon cycle
Major carbon sink - stores mainly in vegetation and soil.
Biomass has been increasing - due to higher concentrations of CO2 in atmosphere, there have been higher levels of productivity as there is more CO2 available for photosynthesis in vegetation.
Increased carbon sequestration in the Amazon.
Trees are growing quicker but also dying faster - this is due to a mix of more carbon dioxide and drier conditions (less water), both key components of photosynthesis.
Deforestation
15% of the Amazon’s landmass has been removed through agricultural processes - large volumes of carbon is released when the soil is burnt for agricultural purposes.
150 acres lost in the Amazon every minute of every day on average.
The Trans-Amazonian highway is 2,000km long cutting through the heart of the rainforest - deforestation, pollution from vehicles and the paving process.
10% of deforestation due to mineral extraction between 2005 and 2015.
HEP - 150 new dams planned for the Amazon, using the river networks to generate energy.
Amazon may become a carbon source as opposed to carbon sink if future deforestation continues at current rate.
Climate change
Temperatures are increasing significantly in some areas, leading to drought periods - the Amazon experienced severe droughts in 2005, 2010, and 2015-16. Can lead to wildfires evident in 2019 with even more carbon released into atmosphere from soil.
Scientists predict that a 4 degree Celsius global temperature rise could kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest.
Selective logging
Keep the older trees in place as they are the most effective in sequestering carbon.
Remove trees from specific areas so not to disrupt the canopy cover.
Replanting/afforestation
Brazil’s Reforestation Project - started in 2017, aims to reforest 70,000 acres amounting to 73 million trees.
Important that the same specie of tree in planted that has been cut down so the natural ecosystem in the area isn’t disrupted.
Environmental law
The Brazilian Forest Code - landowners have to keep 50-80% of their land as forest.
International agreements - the Paris Agreement 2015 - set a target on reforestation for Brazil to reforest 12 million hectares of land by 2030.
Charity work
WWF Wildlife Conservation - they helped to form the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) to ensure comprehensive protection for 12% of the Brazilian Amazon, twice the size of the UK.
