Amazon Rainforest Case Study

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

• either side of the equator in South America
• 68% of it is in Brazil

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

• average temperatures of 27 degrees
• over 2000mm of rainfall annually
• very biodiverse ecosystem
• wet and humid conditions
• constant wet climate means that the soil is infertile, because many nutrients get washed away quickly

Question 3

Water in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 3

• 50% of precipitation is intercepted and re-evaporated

Question 4

Carbon in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 4

• stores 80-120 billion tonnes of carbon
• scientist suggest that the rainforest’s capacity to store carbon is falling

Question 5

name 2 drivers of change in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 5

• deforestation
• slash and burn forest removal

Question 6

3 examples of mitigation in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 6

• reforestation
• national parks
• forest reserves - Para Rainforest Reserve

Question 7

Climate change in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 7

Average temperatures are expected to increase by 2-3 degrees by 2050

Question 8

Vegetation cover in the Amazon Rainforest

Answer 8

3.6 billion hectares of forest lost per year (detrimental to species)