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Geography > SG3: How do the water and carbon cycles operate in contrasting locations? > Flashcards

SG3: How do the water and carbon cycles operate in contrasting locations? Flashcards

1
Q

What is the climate like in the Amazon?

A

The temperature is high all year round and so the range is only 1.7 degrees. The temp peaks in September with the average being 27 degrees and lowest 26 degrees.
The amount of precipitation peaks in March with an average off 313mm and it’s lowest in August with 60mm average.

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2
Q

What are the characteristics of the rainforest vegetation?

A
  • Contains 300 bilion trees
  • Stores a fifth of the planets biomass biomass carbon store.
  • 20% of the Earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.
  • The high temperatures and high quantity of rainfall means that fast growing trees form a dense canopy.
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3
Q

What is the soil like in the Amazon? -

A
  • Soils are very deep (40m) due to rapid chemical weathering of the bedrock
  • The top 15-20cm of the soil consist of nutrient rich leaf litter
  • As a result of the high precipitation, leaching occurs and so the soil is not fertile.
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4
Q

What are inputs of water into the Amazon rainforest?

A

Precipitation

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5
Q

What are the outputs of water from the Amazon?

A

Evaporation

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6
Q

What are the stores of water in the amazon?

A
  • Atmosphere
  • Biomass
  • In the soil
  • Surface water e.g. rivers, swamps
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7
Q

What are the flows of water in the Amazon?

A
  • Transpiration
  • Leaf drip
  • Stemflow
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8
Q

How does climate affect the water cycle?

A

The high temp results in lots of evapotranspiration therefore high amounts of rainfall.

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9
Q

How does vegetation effect the water cycle?

A

10% of precipitation is intercepted. 52% of water in the Amazon is recycles by vegetation.

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10
Q

What is the relief in amazon?

A

Most of the Amazon basin comprises extensive lowlands.

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11
Q

What is the effect of relief to the water cycle?

A

In areas of gentle relief, water moves over the surface (overland flow) or horizontally thou the soil (throughflow) to streams and rivers.
- Rapid run off near the Andes.

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12
Q

What is the bedrock like in the Amazon?

A

The bedrock is weathered quickly by chemical weathering due to the hot and wet climate.

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13
Q

how does bedrock affect the water cycle?

A

The impermeable catchments have little storage capacity ad so runoff is rapid.

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14
Q

Describe the stores of carbon in the Amazon?

A
  • 50% of the carbon stored in trees
  • 40-66% stored in roots and organic matter
  • 20 % of the earth’s biomass store of carbon is in the Amazon.
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15
Q

How does the climate affect the carbon cycle?

A

Fast decomposition of dead organic matter releases co2 quickly
High rates of photosynthesis.

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16
Q

How does soil affect the carbon cycle?

A

The leached and acidic soil stores a minimal amount of carbon.
However the sheer amount of soil creates a large carbon store.

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17
Q

how does bedrock affect the carbon cycle?

A

The carbonate rocks are chemically weathering quickly which release carbon into the soil

18
Q

What are the causes of deforestation in the Amazon?

A
  • Cattle ranches
  • Large scale commercial
  • Fires, Mining, urbanisation, road, construction
  • Logging legal and illegal
  • Small scale subsistence agriculture
19
Q

What is the % of cattle ranches?

A

65-70%

20
Q

What is the % large scale commercial?

A

5-10%

21
Q

What is the % for fires, mining, urbanisation?

A

1.2%

22
Q

What is the % for logging?

A

2-3%

23
Q

What is the % of small scale subsistence agriculture?

A

20-35%

24
Q

What is cattle ranches?

A

Mainly for beef farms.

Exported from Brazil.

25
Q

What is logging?

A

Logging control by strict liscencing which allow timber to be harvested only in designated areas.

26
Q

What is the small subsistence agricultre?

A

Shifting cultivation.

27
Q

What is shifting cultivation?

A

1) Clear some of the trees
2) Vegetation is burned
3) Soil remains sufficiently fertile for the tribe to grow crops
4) When soil is exhausted, the tribe moves on and clears another small area.

28
Q

What is the effect of shifting cultivation on the carbon and nutrient cycle?

A

Decrease in photosynthesis and the carbon stored in above ground biomass. For deeper carbon storage, decrease in C stored in below ground because without the trees less carbon storage. Increase in total carbon emission due to shifting cultivation (slash and burn). however, decrease in respiration due to less trees to photosynthesise.

29
Q

What is the effect of shifting cultivation on the water cycle?

A

Increase ground levels due to without the vegetation less water is being intercepted by the trees. This leads to less water being evaporated off the vegetation, decreasing the amount of water in the atmosphere.
Increase in infiltration by increase in percolation and through flow. Increase in ground water flow meaning increase in water basin. Also increase in surface run off creating flooding.

30
Q

What is the effect of cattle ranches on the water and carbon?

A

Same as shifting cultivation.

31
Q

Case study: Madeira floods

A
  • April 2014
  • 80% of the watershed is in Bolivia, 20% in Brazil
  • Very steep terrain of the Andes highlands
  • Less interception and creased overland flow led to short term
  • 60 peaple killed
  • 68000 families displaced
  • Especially bad in Porto Velho
32
Q

What management strategies have been used in the Amazon rainforest to positively affect the carbon and water cycle?

A
  • Amazon Regional Protected Areas (ARPA)
  • The surui people and the UNREDD
  • Parch project, Rondonia
  • Crees foundation agroforestry
33
Q

What does ARPA do?

A

Expand areas under strict protection to 10% of the Amazon Basin adding 25 million hectares by using satellite monitoring. Funded by the World Bank.

34
Q

What did the Surui people aim to do?

A

Make carbon offsets to save endangered rainforest. Replanting areas.

35
Q

How did the Surui do this?

A

Cooperation with Google Earth to give photos and help of Natura cosmetics who have purchased the carbon offsets.

36
Q

What is carbon offsetting?

A

Process of compensating for carbon dioxide emissions arising from industrial or human activity.

37
Q

What is the UNREDD scheme?

A

A bridge where the capitalist system can recognise the value of standing rainforest.

38
Q

What is carbon credits?

A

A permit which allows a country to produce certain amount of carbon.

39
Q

What is the Parch project?

A

Reforesting areas degraded by commercial logging.
Planting 20 million fast growing tropical hardwood seedlings.
Establishing the water and carbon cycles.

40
Q

What is the Crees foundation agroforestry?

A

Combining food production and tree plantation. The crees foundation is the Peruvian non profit organisation.

41
Q

How is UNREDD criticised?

A
  • violated human rights
  • some leaders corrupted
  • govt take money and local people in poverty.

Geography (34 decks)

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