How Do The Water And Carbon Cycle Operate In The Amazon Flashcards
How many countries is the Amazon spread over?
9
What is the area?
6 million km squared
What percentage of the Amazon is in Brazil?
70%
Where is the steepest relief?
West Andes
What is the effect of steeper relief?
Higher surface run off
What sort of rainfall occurs here?
Convectional
What is most of the Amazon’s relief like?
Lowlands
Gentle
How does water travel in gentle relief?
Throughflow
Groundwater flow
Where is the flattest area and how is water stored?
Pantanal
Stored on surface for months
What are temperatures like?
Consistently high
25-30 degrees
What is humidity like?
High absolute humidity
What % of rainfall is recycled via evapotranspiration?
60%
What is the process called when clouds full of water vapor are moved by winds?
Flying rivers
Is there more water in the atmosphere or rivers?
Atmosphere
What leaves a tree through transpiration?
Water
Particles of salt (allows water to condense quicker)
What is the effect of dense evergreen vegetation?
High interception rates
What percentage of intercepted rainfall is evaporated?
20%
What is the phenomenon known as that involves rapid cycling between the atmosphere and biosphere?
Feedback Loop
What are the two types of rock in the Amazon basin?
Crystalline (Igneous)
Sedimentary
What is crystalline rock like in terms of the water cycle?
Impermeable
Rapid run off
What are sedimentary rocks like in terms of the water cycle?
Porous
Permeable
Stored in aquifers reducing run off
What is the net primary productivity like?
High
2500 grams/m cubed/ year
What do high temperatures mean for the carbon cycle?
CO2 fixed at fast rate via photosynthesis
Increase decomposition speed and CO2 back to atmosphere
What is most soil like and why?
Infertile with limited nutrients
Heavy rainfall washes nutrients away
How is all the biomass supported?
Thin, dark fertile layer of soil
Humus layer
How many tonnes of carbon are in the rainforest?
100 billion
How much CO2 enters the rainforest annually?
2.4 billion tonnes
How much CO2 leaves the rainforest annually?
1.7 billion
Because the rainforest gains more carbon that it loses what is it classed as?
Carbon Sink
What is igneous crystalline rock like in terms of the carbon cycle?
Contains little carbonates
Hard to weather
Not a key store
Where is there limestone which does contain carbonates on a regional scale?
West
Andes
What percentage of carbon is stored above ground?
60%
How many tonnes of carbon can a tree store above ground? (branches, stems, leaves)
180 tonnes per hectare
How many tonnes of carbon can a tree store below ground? (roots)
40 tonnes per hectare
How much of the rainforest has been lost to deforestation?
20%
Between 1970 and 2013 what was the rate of deforestation?
17,500km squared/year
How much of the Amazon in Bolivia was lost and why?
30,000 km squared
Subsistence farming
What effect does deforestation have on the carbon store?
76% reduction per hectare
Why does deforestation take place? (4)
Sugar
Grassland for cattle
HEP (cities growing)
Palm oil
What system do indigenous people use regarding deforestation?
Slash and burn
What is the impact of rainforest to grassland land use change?
Run off increased by factor of 27
50% of this goes to rivers
Fear of droughts
What will increase from deforestation? (2)
Peak flow
Absorption of solar energy
What will decrease with deforestation? (4)
Humidity
Transpiration
Interception
Soil moisture storage
Which area is susceptible to floods because of deforestation? How?
Madeira River Basin
By the steep West Andes
River = 19.68m above usual
Run off and speeds increase
What scheme involves carbon credits?
REDD Scheme
Who protects from illegal logging?
Surui
What is the Parica project?
Reforestation of 1000km squared
20 million fast-growing tropical seedlings
Sequesters carbon in 25 year periods
