AMAZON RAINFOREST
World’s largest tropical rainforest – covers 40% of the South American landmass
1-3 Gtc of carbon / up to 430 inches of rainfall per year
WATER CYCLE
There is a considerable amount of evaporation over the Atlantic Ocean, and the wet
air is blown towards the Amazon. This contributes to the Amazon’s very high rainfall
Warm temperatures mean that evaporation is high in the rainforest itself, which is
increases the amount of precipitation
The rainforest has a dense canopy – this means that interception is high. As a result,
less water flows into rivers and surface runoff occurs at a slower rate
CARBON CYCLE
The amazon rainforest stores lots of carbon in its vegetation and soil, so it’s a carbon
sink
The increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has led to increased
productivity in the rainforest because the vegetation is able to access more CO 2 for
photosynthesis – amount of biomass has been increasing
As a result, the amount of CO2 sequestered by the rainforest has increased, making it
an even more important carbon store
However it has been suggested that although trees are growing more quickly,
they’re dying younger too – this means the Amazon may not be as effective as a
carbon sink in the future
HUMAN ACTIVITIES – DEFORESTAION
In deforested areas there is no tree canopy to intercept rainfall, so more water
reaches the ground surface. Therefore the soil is saturated more quickly – surface
runoff occurs at a faster rate – water moves into rivers, increasing the risk of flooding
World’s largest tropical rainforest – covers 40% of the South American landmass
1-3 Gtc of carbon / up to 430 inches of rainfall per year
WATER CYCLE
There is a considerable amount of evaporation over the Atlantic Ocean, and the wet
air is blown towards the Amazon. This contributes to the Amazon’s very high rainfall
Warm temperatures mean that evaporation is high in the rainforest itself, which is
increases the amount of precipitation
The rainforest has a dense canopy – this means that interception is high. As a result,
less water flows into rivers and surface runoff occurs at a slower rate
CARBON CYCLE
The amazon rainforest stores lots of carbon in its vegetation and soil, so it’s a carbon
sink
The increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has led to increased
productivity in the rainforest because the vegetation is able to access more CO 2 for
photosynthesis – amount of biomass has been increasing
As a result, the amount of CO2 sequestered by the rainforest has increased, making it
an even more important carbon store
However it has been suggested that although trees are growing more quickly,
they’re dying younger too – this means the Amazon may not be as effective as a
carbon sink in the future
HUMAN ACTIVITIES – DEFORESTAION
In deforested areas there is no tree canopy to intercept rainfall, so more water
reaches the ground surface. Therefore the soil is saturated more quickly – surface
runoff occurs at a faster rate – water moves into rivers, increasing the risk of flooding
