Water and Carbon - Amazon Rainforest - Owen Shepherd

size?

300 million trees covering 5.5 million km

How much carbon is stored?

80-120 Gt

How much carbon absorbed a year?

1-3 Gt

temp and rainfall

27 degrees and over 2000 mm of rain

Freshwater into ocean per day

15%

Water trapped in cycle

70%

Deforestation rate

3 football fields per minute

Deforestation between 2000 and 2007

20,000 km per year

Biggest cause of deforestation

cattle ranching

Impacts of desforestation

habitat loss, soil leaching, erosion, removal of condensation nuclei, reduction in river discharge, Flash flood risk increased, Global warming

Condensation nuclei

What clouds form around, the water sticks and condenses on to these particles.

Reduction in river discharge why?

Due to droughts due to lack of rain

Flash flooding why?

River discharge is not usually high, lots of rain means river becomes overloaded and blocked, channel is not used to this level of rain and clogs up, causing rapid flooding as water has no where to go.

Brazil on deforestation

between 2000 and 2012, reduced deforestation by 75%. Helped by protests, bans, prosecutions and legislation change. Creation of huge protected and indigenous reserved areas

Amazon Fund

Attacked the businesses that caused deforestation, prevented deforestation

REDD+ and Norway

Norway pledged $1 billion for Brazil to use to slow its deforestation rates. NOT a carbon offset scheme. All only about preventing deforestation. Huge scale, drive the change in Brazil

Amazon oxygen emissions

28%

technique to deforest?

Slash and burn - leads to uncontrolled wildfires

Carajos Mine

Largest pit mine in the world

mining % of deforestation

10%

Global warming rate

Increase of 0.26 degrees every 10 years

Rise in temp vs death

2 degree = 20%, 3 degree = 75%, 4 degree = 85%

Soil Leaching

loss of soil nutrients due to exposed soil meeting rain and irrigation

Toposol

In the rainforest, little nutrients, all nutrients concentrated in the top layers

River changes

Silting and blocking, flash floods, less discharge, Harm marine ecosystems, destroy habitats, Death of ecosystem

Soy moratorium

ban on farming soy in the rainforest, extremely effective over 99%, only implemented in Brazil.

Acari National Parks

Main areas of protected land around rivers and tributaries, extremely effective as prosecutions carried out,

Dallas of Acari National Parks

could change under new leadership

illegal deforestation still takes place.