Amazon Rainforest Case study

How many trees cover the Amazon?

300 million

How many giga tonnes of carbon does it absorb per year

1-3

How much annual rainfall does it receive

2000+ mm

What countries does it spread across

Brazil, Peru, Columbia and South America

Under which cell is it and what conditions does this cause

The Hadley cell (global atmospheric circulation model) = wet and humid, rain and evaporation

What percentage of rainfall is intercepted by the forest canopy

75%

What are the main drivers of change in the Amazon

Deforestation, land use change, increase in global temperatures

How much of the Amazon is lost per year due to deforestation

3.6 million hectares

What effect would a 2 degree warming have on the rainforest

Could kill 40% in 100 years

What percentage of carbon is released to the atmosphere when tree are burnt

30-60%

How much of the Amazon is lost per year?

3.6 million hectares ( increases climate change)

What changes occur in soil?

Rainforest soils store 9x more carbon than pastures, soil erodes rapidly due to rainfall, and when it drys out

What effect does deforestation have on rivers?

Decrease in river discharge as less clouds form, can lead to flash flooding in extreme cases as there is less interception