Amazon Rainforest Case Study Flashcards
How large is the rainforest?
cover 5.5 million km^2 across 9 countries.
How many trees and species are there in the rainforest?
300 billion trees and over 15,000 species
how much of the worlds carbon stored in the biomass is in the rainforest?
1/5
when was peak deforestation?
30,000 hectares in 1995
how many tonnes of carbon is stored in the amazon?
80 to 120 billion tonnes
how much carbon does the amazon store each year?
1-3 GTC/year
what is the increase in above ground biomass and what is the reason for this?
0.3 to 0.5% due to the higher concentration of carbon in the atmosphere (carbon fertilisation)
what was the peak that the amazon could absorb?
2 billion tonnes of co2 each year in the 1990’s
what has happened to rates of deforestation recently?
had decreased to 5,000 km^2 but since 2019 have reached levels of 10,000 km^2 in 2019
how many miles of forest has been destroyed according to the world bank?
1 million km has been lost
compared to the 2 billion tonnes of co2 absorbed in 1990, how much has been absorbed in 2015
1 billion tonnes of co2
what percentage of the worlds rainforest is in the amazon?
50%
what has happened to the mortality rates of trees since the 1980’s?
increased by more than a third, trees “living fast and dying young”
what is the discharge of the amazon river into the atlantic?
175,000 m^3/s, around 15% of all fresh water entering oceans each day.
what is an example of a tributary of the amazon?
the Rio Negro, second largest river in the world in terms of discharge, 100m deep and 14km wide near its mouth in Manaus, Brazil.
what is the average and highest rainfall in the amazon?
2,300 mm annually, but can exceed 6,000 mm in the northwest portion.
what proportion of rainfall may never reach the ground due to interception by rainforest canopy?
1/2
what percentage of rain actually reaches the sea?
30%, rest is caught up in a closed system loop.
what percentage of the rain that evaporates comes back as rain?
48%
what is the rate of deforestation?
19,368 km^2 per year
what effect does slash and burn have on the soil?
reduces the relative humidity in the top soil, also sudden evaporation of water increases albedo and temperature. also reduce porosity of soil causing more rainfall damage.
how does deforestation decrease rainfall inland?
hydrological biotic pump theory, only shallow cumulous clouds form, causing little rainfall.
due to deforestation, what will happen to the amount of solar radiation absorbed?
fall by 11%
what effect does pasture lands have on on temperature?
average temperature is 33 degrees, whereas its only 24.1 degrees in rainforests. Average temp of soil is 15.5% higher in pasture lands than forest.
how much more precipitation is there in forests than pasture lands due to higher evaporation rates?
5-20% more.
what is the yearly temperature increase and what will temperatures have increased by in 2050?
0.26% every ten years, increased by 2-3% by 2050.
what proportion of the rainforest could die off in the next 100 years?
20-40%
what does deforestation affect the soil?
soil in pasture lands contains just 1kg of carbon , whereas soil in forests contains between 4kg and 9kg.
what percentage of carbon is lost when forests are burned?
30%-60%. unburned vegetation decays within 10 years
how does damage to the soil affect the soil moisture capacity?
higher rates of soil erosion due to lack of roots to bind the soil causes decreased soil moisture capacity and causes more surface run-off.
what can happen to the river regime?
more flashy, shorter lag times.
what was the international tropical timber agreement (ITTA) of 1983?
all trees that are cut down must be stamped and put on record so that taking excessive amounts of wood from sensitive areas could be avoided.
