Water And Carbon Cycles

Question 1

What is the geology and vegetation like surrounding the River Test?

Answer 1

Predominately clay with lots of grassland but limited other vegetation

Question 2

Where does the water come from to feed the Test?

Answer 2

Chalk aquifer

Question 3

Characteristics of the basin?

Answer 3

Slightly elongated, gentle gradient

Question 4

What is the population in the Test drainage basin like?

Answer 4

Population of 725,000, small villages as 60% of the land is for agriculture

Question 5

How does time of year affect the Test?

Answer 5

March = more rainfall, higher discharge means water surplus
September = less rainfall, constant discharge means soil moisture utilisation

Question 6

How much water is being abstracted from the Test?

Answer 6

50,000 million litres per year

Question 7

What is the future plans for restriction of abstraction of water from the Test?

Answer 7

Restricted to 80 million litres per day

Question 8

What has local complaints caused at the Test?

Answer 8

Plans to build a 20km pipeline to pump 45 million litres a day to the Itchen

Question 9

What has caused flooding in Romsey?

Answer 9

Built in high risk areas, prolonged rainfall in saturated ground, erosion, intense rainfall

Question 10

What impacts has flooding caused in Romsey?

Answer 10

Armed forces called out to build dams with sandbags, roads blocked, businesses closed, 800 new homes prevented from being built

Question 11

How has flooding been managed in Romsey?

Answer 11

Straightened river channel, heightened stone banks, purposefully grown vegetation, bridges - £250,000 given for flood defences

Question 12

What human activities have taken place to affect the Test drainage basin?

Answer 12

Water abstraction, urbanisation, management, removal of vegetation for agriculture

Question 13

What countries does the Amazon span?

Answer 13

Majority over Brazil, 7 others including Peru and Columbia

Question 14

What is the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?

Answer 14

Where two Hadley cells meet, creating low pressure and lots of evapotranspiration

Question 15

How much precipitation does the Amazon experience?

Answer 15

3000m per year

Question 16

What is the temperature of the Rainforest?

Answer 16

27 degrees C

Question 17

How many trees are in the Amazon?

Answer 17

300 billion

Question 18

How does the water cycle work in the Amazon?

Answer 18

Lots of precipitation > 75% of rain is intercepted into stem flow > 25% evaporates and remaining infiltrates or is runoff

Question 19

Is the Amazon a Carbon source or sink?

Answer 19

Carbon sink - it absorbs CO2 for PSE and about 50% is in wood

Question 20

How has global warming helped growth of plants in the Amazon?

Answer 20

More atmospheric CO2 means the forest stores more and increases productivity

Question 21

How much oxygen is released from the Amazon?

Answer 21

20% of the world’s supply

Question 22

How can CO2 be released from the Rainforest?

Answer 22

Carbon can dissolve into water, trees that grow quickly die sooner and decompose, respiration

Question 23

How much of the Amazon is being deforested?

Answer 23

20,000km2 annually

Question 24

How does deforestation affect evapotranspiration?

Answer 24

It is reduced > fewer clouds > less precipitation > drought

Question 25

How does the removal of trees affect the cycles?

Answer 25

Less interception = flooding, increased runoff = moves carbon into hydrosphere, less biomass to store CO2

Question 26

What is the problem with “slash and burn” ?

Answer 26

Quickly releases CO2

Question 27

How much carbon has been released into the atmosphere from the Amazon by deforestation?

Answer 27

30-60%

Question 28

How has climate change impacted Brazil?

Answer 28

Severe droughts in 2005 and 2010 - extinction of species, fires, less gas can dissolve in warm waters

Question 29

How much could a 4 degrees C rise kill of the rainforest?

Answer 29

85%

Question 30

What is the Tarapoto agreement?

Answer 30

Involves all 8 countries to ban excessive logging, protect areas and create legal restrictions for building

Question 31

What does the Brazilian Forest Code say?

Answer 31

Landowners have to keep 50-80% of their land as forest

Question 32

What is happening in Peru?

Answer 32

Deforestation - aims to restore 3.2 million hectares by 2020