water and carbon -amazon rainforest case study (key features)

Question 1

what percentage does the amazon rainforest cover earths surface?

Answer 1

4%

Question 2

what is the climate like in the amazon rainforest?

Answer 2

hot -27 degrees
wet -3000mm rainfall per year

Question 3

because of the amazons climate, what are the conditions like?

Answer 3

.perfect conditions for plant growth

Question 4

why does the climate create the perfect conditions for plant growth?

Answer 4

.creates a humid atmosphere whereby plants get access to sunlight and rainfall

Question 5

what is the percentage that rainforests in general account for global photosynthesis?

Answer 5

.30-50%

Question 6

what is the biodiversity like in the rainforest?

Answer 6

.home to 20% species of plants and animals

Question 7

what is the population of the amazon rainforest?

Answer 7

.home to 20 million people

Question 8

what percentage of rainfall is intercepted by the trees and then travels to the ground via stemflow?

Answer 8

.75%

Question 9

what percentage of water is evaporated in the amazon rainforest?

Answer 9

.25%

Question 10

what percentage of rainfall is used by plants and eventually returned to the atmosphere?

Answer 10

.35%

Question 11

what process does rainfall return back to the atmosphere by?

Answer 11

.evapotranspiration

Question 12

what percentage of rainfall is infiltrated through the soil or flows overland?

Answer 12

.35%

Question 13

what percentage of the amazon rainforest’s primary rainforest has been lost in the last 50 years?

Answer 13

.17%

Question 14

why has 17% of the amazon primary rainforest been lost in the last 50 years?

Answer 14

.80% due to cattle ranching
.other reasons: logging, mining, housing

Question 15

where is the loss of the primary rainforest most apparent?

Answer 15

.south east parts of brazil
.north western arc in colombia

Question 16

how much of the forest is being destroyed each year?

Answer 16

between 2000 and 2007 -20,000km2