Carbon and Water Cycle

Question 1

Example of negative feedback

Answer 1

Increased use of fossil fuels
More CO2 in atmosphere
More plant growth occurs
More CO2 is absorbed by the growing plants

Question 2

Example of positive feedback

Answer 2

Global temperatures increase
Increased temperatures cause ice to melt at the poles
Less ice cover reduced the albedo effect (less sunlight reflected)
Higher temperature

Question 3

What were the carbon levels pre-industrial revolution compared to now?

Answer 3

Pre-industrial revolution = 278ppm
Current = 418ppm

Question 4

Where is the River Eden (source, river channel, mouth)

Answer 4

Source - Pennine hills
River channel runs through Cumbria, between the Lake District and the Pennines
Mouth - Soloway Firth at the Scottish border

Question 5

What changes have caused the Eden river basin more likely to flood?

Answer 5

Farming - between 2000 & 2009 the number of cattle increased by 30% compacting the soils. More compact = reduced infiltration
Construction - built up areas have increased. A new 10,000 home village is being built. Lots of development on floodplains
Deforestation - much of original forest cover has been removed for timber and land for farming

Question 6

How did Storm Desmond cause the Eden river basin to flood?

Answer 6

Storm Desmond caused 262 mm of rain to fall in 48 hours in December 2015, ( average for whole of December was 200mm) and caused 2000 properties to flood

Question 7

What type of rock is below the Eden river basin?

Answer 7

Upland areas = igneous rock (impermeable)
Lowland areas = limestone/sandstone (permeable)

Question 8

How big is the Amazon Rainforest, and how many countries does it cover?

Answer 8

It is 670 million hectares, and covers 9 countries including Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia

Question 9

How many trees and species of animals are there in the rainforest? How much of the worlds biomass?

Answer 9

300 billion trees and 15,000 different species
1/5 of all the carbon within its biomass

Question 10

How many people depend on the Amazon Rainforest?

Answer 10

34 million

Question 11

How much carbon does the Amazon Rainforest store? and how much is absorbed annually

Answer 11

76 billion tons in 2019, with 600 million tons absorbed

Question 12

How much carbon is absorbed by rainforests worldwide annually?

Answer 12

1-3 GtC/year

Question 13

How much water is discharged by the Amazon Rainforest?

Answer 13

175,000 m3/s (15% of all fresh water entering the oceans)

Question 14

Average rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest?

Answer 14

2300mm (6000+mm in some places)

Question 15

What happens to 50% of the rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest?

Answer 15

50% intercepted and evaporates

Question 16

What is causing major change in the Amazon?

Answer 16

Deforestation
- between 2000 & 2007 an area the size of Greece was deforested

Question 17

What is the average temperature in the rainforest?

Answer 17

24.1℃

Question 18

What is the average temperature increase in the Amazon Rainforest?

Answer 18

0.05℃ each year since the 1970s, and predict that by 2050 the temperatures will have increased by 2-3℃

Question 19

What sort of vegetation changes have occurred in the Amazon? + how will temperature change affect the forest?

Answer 19

• 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been lost, and by 2030 27% will have been lost
• a 2℃ rise would see 20-40% of the Amazon die off within 100 years
• a 4℃ rise would see 85% of the Amazon die off