TRF - Case study

Question 1

How big is the amazon rainforest basin?

Answer 1

670 million hectares

Question 2

How many trees in amazon rainforest?

Answer 2

300 Billion

Question 3

How many countries does the amazon rainforest go through?

Answer 3

9

Question 4

How many people live in the Amazon?

Answer 4

34 million people

Question 5

What is the avg discharge of water into the atlantic ocean?

Answer 5

175,000 m^3/s

Question 6

What is the second largest river in the amazon and its width and depth?

Answer 6

Rio Negro - 14km wide 100m deep

Question 7

What is the avg rainfall in amazon basin?

Answer 7

2300mm annually can reach to 6000mm

Question 8

How much rainfall is released back as rain that was evapotranspiration back into the atmosphere?

Answer 8

48%

Question 9

How much carbon did the amazon store in 2019?

Answer 9

76 Billion

Question 10

What effect does the inc conc of carbon do to trees?

Answer 10

It increases productivity which then decreases the life span of trees which cause them to die younger

Question 11

How much carbon did amazon absorb in 2019?

Answer 11

600 million tons

Question 12

What does deforestation do to the amount of carbon the amazon can absorb and was this an increase or decrease on the amount of carbon that was absorbed in 1990s?

Answer 12

Deforestation decreases amount absorbed as in 1990s it was the peak of 2 billion tons of carbon being absorbed each year.

Question 13

What degree does the amazon lie in?

Answer 13

5 degrees north and 10 degrees south

Question 14

What does the degree the amazon lie in mean?

Answer 14

A lot of solar radiation
high temperatures
a lot of evaporated
More clouds
more precipitation

Question 15

One way carbon and water is interlinked? (Hint: Trf Soil)

Answer 15

Normally rainforest soil is nutrient poor and it is not stored for a long time.
Due to heavy rain it washes organic material from the soil.
The heavy rainwater also seeps into the ground and leeches away any nutrients.
But due to the high diversity of decomposers the dead material is decomposed quickly so nutrients is also taken up quickly by plants.

Question 16

Another way carbon and water is linked?(Hint: Soil quality)

Answer 16

infiltration and through flow is enhanced by well formed soil.
The formation of soil structure is dependent on the carbon cycle.
When there is more carbon in the atmosphere there is more soil organic carbon which promotes soil structure and the stability.

Question 17

Another easy way carbon and water is linked? (Hint: plants)

Answer 17

Photosynthesis:
without carbon or water there is no o2 produced.

Question 18

What was the deforestation rate from 2000-2007?

Answer 18

19368km^2/ year

Question 19

What % is Brazil greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and burning in the amazons rainforest?

Answer 19

59%

Question 20

3 ways slash n burn is bad for the enviroment?

Answer 20

It causes sudden evaporation of water stored in the tree canopies.
This increases albedo and inc in temp
It also inc porosity of soil - erosion silting in riviers and lakes.

Question 21

How does deforestation affect precipitation?

Answer 21

Forests emit salts and organic fibres which act as condensation nuclei which contributes to cloud formation. So less trees mean less precipitation

Question 22

What is stored in trees that will be released when cutted down?

Answer 22

Carbon

Question 23

What is the secondary impact of deforestation (Hint:cows)

Answer 23

80% of deforestation is due to cattle ranching
Due to enteric fermentation - accounts for 40% of regions total green house gas emissions in 2011

Question 24

What does the removal of vegetation cause?

Answer 24

it causes more weathering release carbon through weathering of carbon containing rocks.

Question 25

Why is hydroelectric dams bad?

Answer 25

It causes the area to flood and an artificial store of water.
pro: reduce carbon as it does not burn fossil fuels for electricity
con - veg is inundated by reservoirs which releases methane from sedimant decompostition

Question 26

How much % dies mining contribute to deforestation?

Answer 26

2%

Question 27

What happens if demand for minerals inc?

Answer 27

More mineral extraction - more deforestation

Question 28

One mitigation for deforestation?

Answer 28

CACC - Central Amazon conservation complex

More then 6m hectares is protected
But very low amount of rangers protecting the area

Split up to 4 zones
the jau national park is the most protect of 2.3 million hectares
Its only used for conservation and strict research and eco tourism

Reforestation - “native tree planting” - indigenous trees

programs such as “amazon fund” finance them

Question 29

One example of natural variation?

Answer 29

The canopy of trees receive the most sunlight and water - more photosynthesis: higher yield of fruits,seeds,flowers

However the canopy blocks the sunlight on the floor - low rate of photosynthesis (light is limiting factor)

rate of flows vary in different seasons
- however less variation then other biomes
- dry season still have alot of rain (64mm)

futhermore - high levels of transpiration
-high levels of humidity
-reduce variation