AMAZON RAINFOREST Flashcards
size of amazon
worlds largest tropical rainforest
covers 40% of SAm land mas
covers 68% of brazil
conditions of amazon
very hot and wet
vegetation is very dense
what lives there
many indigenous people
1 million plant species
500 species of mammals
2000 species of fish
- particularly endangered species of them all
what causes the amazon to be so wet
evaporation from the Atlantic ocean being blown over
what causes high evapotranspiration
warm temperatures
what causes high interception rates. what’s does this mean for the water cycle
dense canopy
less water flows - flows more slowly into the river
what are the species adapted towards
the high humidity
what dos the amazon store, what does this make it
carbon - in vegetation and soil
carbon sink
how much of the amazon is considered a carbon source
1/5
negative feedback loop - CO2 and plants
increase CO2
increased productivity - plants absorb more CO2 for photosynthesis
biomass increases
how much CO2 absorbed in 1990s vs 2015
1990 - 2 billion tonnes
2015 - 1 billion tonnes
how much of the original land has been lost to deforestation
17%
what % of deforestation is associated with farming
90% - cattle and agriculture
- arable and pastoral
what impact does deforestation - farming have on the water cycle
no tree canopy to intercept rainfall - more water reaches ground surface
fills up water table
becomes runoff
increase flood risk
decreased river discharge
what does deforestation do to evapotranspiration.
what does this mean - neg
reduces it
less water in the atmosphere, fewer clouds and rainfall is reduced. 1/3 of the areas rainfall is recycled - could lead to drought