TROPICAL REGION casestudy - climate example

Question 1

the location of Equatorial region

G.C.C on Equatorial region

Answer 1

• amazon basin in South America
• covers area of 8,200,000km
• mainly in Brazil
• largest single source of freshwater runoff on earth, representing 15-20% of global river discharge
• habitat for 10 million species of plants/animals/insects

Question 2

impact on temp in the Amazon Basin

G.C.C on Equatorial region

Answer 2

• increase in temp if 2-3°C by 2050
• sea temps (especially in Pacific Ocean) likely to warm
• will have a knock-on effect in El Niño Southern Oscillation; high pressure which forms over the cold ocean is replaced by low pressure over the warmer ocean - can have a temp of 6-10°C above normal - produces heavy rainfall on the usually arid coastline of Peru

Question 3

Impact of precipitation

G.C.C on Equatorial region

Answer 3

• decrease in precipitation during dry season; La Niña features reduced rainfall and prolonged drought (can mean loss of income and food shortages)
• sea levels are rising currently by some 5mm per year along the delt of the amazon

Question 4

Impact on flora and fauna

G.C.C on Equatorial region

Answer 4

• up to 40% of plant species may become unviable in the Amazon rainforest by 2080
• trees will have more time to dry out (prolonged dry season); increased spontaneous forest fires; add to CO2 emissions
• by 2050, forest die-back as a result of vegetation succession and fire is predicted to result in the Amazon region becoming a net source of CO2

Question 5

Impact on glaciers

G.C.C on Equatorial region

Answer 5

• glaciers in the Andes provide the source for as much as 50% of the dischard of the upper Amazon (over last 30 years, Peruvian glaciers have shrunk by 20% and predicted that Peru will lose all of its glaciers below a height of 6000m by 2050)