Amazon

Question 1

How much of South Americas landmass does the Amazon cover

Answer 1

40%

It is the world’s largest tropical rainforest

Question 2

What is the climate and vegetation like

Answer 2

Hot, wet climate.Vegetation is very dense

Question 3

What species and people is the amazon home to

Answer 3

-many groups on indigenous people
-up to 1 million plant species
-over 500 species of mammals
-over 2000 species of fish
-home to many endangered species including the Amazonian manatee, black caiman and pirarucu (fish)

Question 4

How big is the Amazon

Answer 4

5.5 million km squared, 9 countries

Question 5

How many trees are in the amazon

Answer 5

300 billion trees, 15,000 species, 20% of all world’s biomass carbon

Question 6

How does the water cycle affect the amazon

Answer 6

• Causes the amazon to be very wet - there is lots of evaporation over the Atlantic Ocean, and wet air is blown towards the amazon. Contributes to the amazon’s very high rainfall
• Warm temperatures mean high evaporation in the rainforest, increasing the amount of precipitation
• Dense canopy means high interception. As a result, less water flows into rivers than might otherwise be expected, and it does so more slowly
• It is populated by species that are adapted to high humidity and regent rainfall

Question 7

How does the carbon cycle affect the amazon environment

Answer 7

• Stores lots of carbon in its vegetation and soil, is a carbon sink
• The increasing concentration of co2, in the atmosphere has led to increased productivity in the amazon, vegetation is able to access more co2 for photosynthesis - the amount of biomass has been increasing
• Amount of co2 sequestered by the amazon has increased, making it an even more important carbon store
• Suggested that although trees are growing more quickly, they’re also dying younger
• As a result, we may not be able to rely on the amazon rainforest to continue to be such an effective carbon sink in the future

Question 8

Effects of deforestation in the amazon on the water cycle

Answer 8

• Less tree canopy to intercept rainfall, more water reaches the ground surface. Too much water to soak into the soil, instead the water moves to rivers as surface runoff, increasing the risk of flooding
• Reduces the rate of evapotranspiration, meaning less water vapour reaches the atmosphere, fewer clouds form and rainfall is reduced. Increases the risk of drought

Question 9

Effects of deforestation in the amazon on the carbon cycle

Answer 9

-without roots to hold the soil together, heavy rain washes away the nutrient-rich top layer of soil, transferring carbon stored in the soil to the hydrosphere
- There is less leaf litter, so humus isn’t formed. The soil can’t support much new growth, which limits the amount of carbon that is absorbed
- Trees remove co2 from the atmosphere and store it, fewer trees means more atmospheric co2, which enhances the greenhouse effect and global warming

Question 10

What are effects of climate change on the amazon/tropical rainforests

Answer 10

• In some areas temperature is increasing and rainfall is decreasing, which leads to drought.
• Plants and animals are adapted to moist conditions, so many species die in dry weather. Frequent or long periods of drought could lead to extinction of some species. Drought can also lead to forest fires, destroys large areas of forest, releasing lots of co2 into the atmosphere
• Scientists predict a 4°c temperature rise could kill 85% of the amazon rainforest. Would result in lots of carbon being released into the atmosphere as the dead material decomposed, and less carbon dioxide being taken in from the air by trees for photosynthesis

Question 11

What years did the amazon have severe droughts

Answer 11

2005, 2010 and 2015-16

Question 12

What do scientists predict that a 4°C temperature rise would have on the amazon

Answer 12

A 4°C temperature rise could kill 85% of the amazon rainforest

Question 13

What are different attempts to limit human impacts on the amazon

Answer 13

• Selective logging
• Replanting
• Environmental law
• Protection

Question 14

How can selective logging limit human impacts on the amazon

Answer 14

• Only some trees e.g. just the oldest ones are felled, most are left standing
• If only a few trees are taken from each area the forest structure is kept - the canopy is still there and the soil isn’t exposed. This means the forest is able to regenerate, so the impact on the carbon and water cycle is small

Question 15

How can replanting limit human impacts on the amazon

Answer 15

• New trees are planted to replace the ones that are cut down. For example, a project in Peru replanned over 115 acres of forest between 2016 and 2019
• It’s important that the same type of tree are planted that were cut down, so the variety of trees is kept for the future and the local carbon and water cycles return to their initial state

Question 16

How can environmental law limit human impacts on the amazon

Answer 16

• Laws that ban the use of wood from forests that are not managed sustainably
• Laws that ban excessive logging
• Laws that control land use, eg the Brazilian Forest Code says that land owners have to keep 50-80% of their land as forest

Question 17

How much land to land owners have to keep as forest in Brazil

Answer 17

Brazilian Forest Code says that land owners have to keep 50-80% of their land as forest

Question 18

How can protection limit human impacts on the amazon

Answer 18

• Many countries have set up national parks and nature reserves to protect rainforests. eg, the Central Amazon Conservation Complex was set up in 2003 and protects biodiversity in an area of 49,000km² while allowing local people to use the forest in a sustainable way
• Within national parks and nature reserves, damaging activities such as logging can be monitored and prevented

Question 19

What does the Central Amazon Conservation Complex do

Answer 19

Set up in 2003 and protects biodiversity in an area of 49,000km² while allowing local people to use the forest in a sustainable way