Case studies

Cards (44)

  • What are the case studies for water and carbon cycles
    Amazon rainforest and arctic tundra
  • What is a tropical rainforest
    An area with no dry season
  • What area does Amazon rainforest occupy
    6 million km2
  • What is the climate of the Amazon rainforest
    Over 2000mm of annual rainfall
    average temp is 27 degrees
  • What percentage of earths oxygen is produced by rainforest
    20
  • How many trees does the rainforest have
    300 billion
  • What are the characteristics of rainforest soil
    very deep and has a layer of humus on the top, due to decomposition
  • What are inputs of water into the RF
    precipitation
  • What % of rainfall is recycled in the ARF
    50
  • What are the stores of water in the ARF
    Atmosphere
    lakes and rivers
    trees
    soil
  • What are the factors affecting the water cycle in the ARF
    Temperature
    geology
  • What is the NPP of the ARF
    2500
  • Factors affecting the carbon cycle in the ARF
    temperature
    vegetation
    soil
  • What are the causes of deforestation in the ARF
    burning - over 1000 burnt in 2022
    shifting cultivation
    grazing
  • What is shifting cultivation
    When trees are cut down to make room for crops
  • What is grazing
    Large areas of forest are cleared to make room for cattle
  • How does deforestation affect the carbon cycle in the ARF
    Less vegetation so less co2 absorbed from photosynthesis
    fires - emit co2
  • What are the impacts of deforestation on the water cycle in the ARF
    interception will decrease and risk of floods increases
    evapotranspiration decreases therefore precipitation decreases
  • What happened at the Madeira river basin
    Deforestation in the highlands of Peru meant there was a land tsunami causing the death of 60 people.
  • What happens to albedo after deforestation
    It is lowered - leads to a positive feedback cycle of rise in temperature
  • What is the ARPA management strategy in the ARF
    Amazon regional protected areas
    aims to decrease deforestation
    has 70mil hectares of land in protected areas and has led to a 37% decrease.
  • What were the limitations of the ARPA project in ARF
    illegal logging was still happening
    the protected areas were an obstacle to economic growth
  • What were the successes of the ARPA project in the ARF
    37% decrease
    when the programme turned 15 it reached 100% of its targets
  • What was the surui people and UN- RED scheme
    UN-REDD are trying to help the tribe of surui people to protect the forest. They are giving trees to plant and been told to report illegal logging
    also given carbon credits
  • What were the benefits of the UNREDD project
    The carbon offsets were equivalent to 64,000 cars been removed from the road a year
    in 2013 they sold 120,000 tonnes of carbon to natura
  • What were the limitations of the UN REDD scheme
    Suspended in 2016 due to logging
    carbon credit programme collapsed after they discovered diamonds beneath the forest.
  • What did the CREES foundation do
    Promote agroforestry- a Peruvian based NGO. Provide training and loans
  • Where is arctic tundra located
    Arctic circle in the northern hemisphere
  • What is the climate of arctic tundra
    Only 137mm of rainfall a year
    average temp is about -12
    can reach -40 in winter
  • What is permafrost
    Ground that has been frozen for 2 years
  • What is unfrozen found within permafrost called
    Talik
  • What is the water cycle like in the arctic tundra
    Very low, little precipitation so little evaporation
  • What are the seasonal changes to the water cycle in the arctic tundra
    In the summer months there is more surface water due to melting and thawing
  • What factors affect the water cycle in the arctic tundra
    Temperature
    rock porosity
  • where Is most carbon stored in the arctic tundra
    trapped in frozen permafrost
  • What is the carbon cycle like in the arctic tundra
    Very little photosynthesis and respiration.
  • What happens in the summer in arctic tundra
    Longer daylight hours so plants begin to grow and carbon is absorbed
  • Where is the oil industry in Alaska
    Prudhoe bay Alaska (1968)
  • What does oil do for the north slope of Alaska
    Generates 1/2 of GDP
    1/4 of jobs
    the trans Alaskan pipeline was developed 800 miles long
  • How has the oil industry affected the water cycle
    Permafrost thaws so there is more run off which increases flood risk. Increased precipitation due to more evaporation