Tropical Rainforest- Amazon Flashcards
Climate
Unifom thru year, temperatures high and constant
Causes of climate
Sun is directly overhead and rays have to travel through less of atmosphere, high annual rainfall
Causes of rainfall
Convectional thunderstorms most days, convection caused by warm air brought by trade winds,
Winds
No significant winds
Ocean currents
No real effect aince equatorial climates are inland
Altitude
Equatorial climates are low-lying
Vegetation
Emergent trees grow 60M, few branches on tall trunks to focus on growing upward, most trees in canopy layes w/ little sunlight so have dark leaves to maximise photosynthesis,
Deforestation
1/3 of trees, 15-40% has been cleared, slash and burn farming by tribes, 25M peasants subsistence farming, 5300km Amazonian highway
Effects
thousands of unknows species threatened, could lose cure for diseases, loss of tribe traditions, global balancd of oxygen and carbon affected
Ways to protect it
Zones for different activities, laws, restrict heavy destructive machinery