EQ3- carbon Flashcards
define reforestation
An establishment of a forest cover in a location where the forest has been created in recent years, usually to repurpose the land for activities like agriculture or mining.
define afforestation
The establishment of forests where previously there have been none, or where forests have been missing for a long time.
what are the negatives of reforestation/ aforestation?
Levels of biodiversity are not immediately restored as habitats aren’t
Soil needs regrading- uses energy e.g irrigation
what are the advantages of reforestation/aforestation?
Carbon sink, carbon sequestration, rebalancing the carbon cycle.
Compare the 1950s madagascan rainforest to 1985
Since the 1950s, Madagascar’s rainforest has been cleared at a rapid rate.
In the 1950s, there was 11.6 million hectares of rainforest land- compared to 1985 where this was drastically reduced to 3.8 million hectares.
Why is there deforestation in Madagascar?
The forest could cope with small-scale clearance by farmers , however the growing international demand for tropical hardwood, an expanding population and debt repayments caused the government to encourage farmers to clear more land and grow cash crops, earn foreign currency and help repay the country’s debts.
Why is Madagascar special in terms of resources?
The country has one of the highest rates of forest loss in the world, with 80% now gone.
most species existed nowhere else
mining for nickel, country has the richest untapped ,mineral sources in the world.
what is the government putting pressure on in Madagascar?
to grow crops such as maize, wheat, rice, cassava and sorghum
what are the predicted levels of co2 emissions in Andapa, Madagascar by 2030?
compare to 2015
2010= 0gt
2015= 2gt
2020= 5gt
2025= 7gt
2030= 11gt
what does deforrestation have a major impact on? (environmental)
colossal impact of both carbon fluxes and stores.
what are the impacts of deforestation on the water cycle?
- Infiltration is decreased.
- Runoff and erosion are increased.
- Flood peaks are higher and the lag time is shorter.
- Increased discharge leads to flooding.
- More eroded material is carried in the river, both as bed load and as silt and clay in suspension.
- Annual rainfall is reduced and the seasonality of rainfall increases.
What are the impacts of deforestation on soil health?
- Raindrop impact washes finer particles of clay and humus away.
- Coarser and heavier sands are left behind.
- CO, is released from decaying woody material.
- Biomass is lost, due to reduced plant growth / photosynthesis.
- Rapid soil erosion leads to a loss of nutrients.
- Increased leaching (the loss of nutrients from the soil by infiltration) means that minerals are lost.
What are the impacts of deforestation on the atmosphere?
- Turbulence is increased as the heated ground induces convectional air currents.
- Oxygen content is reduced and transpiration rates are lower.
- Reduced shading leads to more direct sunlight reaching the forest floor.
- Reduced evapotranspiration makes it less humid.
- The air is dryer (as above).
- Evapotranspiration rates from the resultant grasslands are about one-third that of the tropical rainforest.
What are the impacts of deforestation on the Biosphere?
- Evaporation from vegetation is reduced.
- Less absorption of CO2 means a reduced carbon store.
- Species diversity is reduced (e.g. less-resilient forest plants die off).
- Ecosystem services are reduced (see page 86).
- The decrease in habitats means that fewer animal species survive.
- Biomass is lost, because of reduced plant growth / photosynthesis.
example of where deforestation has impacted the water cycle
Reduced Evapotranspiration – Trees play a key role in releasing water vapor into the atmosphere through transpiration. When forests are removed, less moisture is returned to the air, leading to decreased rainfall.
Decreased Rainfall – The Amazon generates a significant portion of its own rainfall through evapotranspiration. With large-scale deforestation, less water vapor is available, leading to drier conditions.
Increased Runoff and Erosion – Without trees to absorb and store water, more rainwater runs off the surface, leading to soil erosion and reduced groundwater recharge.
example of where deforestation has impacted soil health
Madagascar
Problem: Slash-and-burn agriculture (known as tavy) has led to widespread deforestation, exposing the soil to erosion and nutrient depletion.
Impact: Over 90% of Madagascar’s forests have been lost, leading to red, barren landscapes where soil is no longer suitable for farming.
example of where deforestation has impacted the atmosphere
human Impact
Increased Air Pollution
Burning forests release pollutants like carbon monoxide, methane, and black carbon (soot), contributing to smog and respiratory issues.
Example: Smoke from Amazon fires in 2019 spread across South America, worsening air quality in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
Increased Greenhouse Gas Emissions
example of where deforestation has impacted the atmosphere
environmental impact
Trees absorb CO₂ from the air through photosynthesis. When forests are cleared (especially by burning), massive amounts of stored carbon are released back into the atmosphere.
Example: In 2020 alone, deforestation in the Amazon released about 2.3 billion metric tons of CO₂, worsening climate change.
example of where deforestation has impacted the biosphere
Borneo, home to one of the world’s most diverse rainforests, has experienced massive deforestation due to logging, palm oil plantations, and agriculture. This has severely impacted the biosphere, which includes all living organisms and ecosystems.
Habitat Loss & Species Extinction
The Bornean orangutan population has declined by over 50% in the last 60 years due to deforestation.
Other species, like the Sumatran rhino, pygmy elephant, and clouded leopard, are critically endangered as their forest homes disappear.
Around 80% of Borneo’s forest cover has been lost or degraded, leaving wildlife with less space to live and reproduce.
What happened in the American mid-west during 2007-2015?
Between 2007 and 2015, a biofuel ‘rush’ swept across the American midwest- often referred to as the Prairies. Farmers were encouraged to grow corn, soya, canola and sugar cane as part of the US environmental protection agency’s Renewable fuel standard policy.
What did the US environmental protection agency’s renewable fuel standard policy aim to do?
- Increase the amount of ethanol being used in petrol.
- Boost economies of rural US states.
- Reduce US dependance on overseas oil imports.
- Reduce co2 emissions from transport.
By 2013, how much had the price of corn increased by?
Why?
By 2013, the price of coal had trebled, due to the growth in biofuel crop crop production- which reflected a growing global demand.
How many hectares of natural grassland disappeared across the American Midwest?
Over 5.5 million hectares, this matches the rate of rainforest deforestation in Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia.
what are the benefits of natural grasslands?
- trap moisture, food and water
- absorbs toxins from soils
- maintain healthy soils
- provide cover for dry soils
- Act as carbon sinks, absorbing co2 and releasing 02 all year round- the ‘lung effect’
- maintains natural habitats
- Act as a terrestrial carbon store
