The Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest in Brazil
Location
The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America, south of the Equator
It covers 2.1 million square miles of land.
The longitude and latitude of the Amazon rainforest is longitude = 71 degrees, 45’ and 55”W and latitude = 15 degrees 31’ and 05”S.
Biotic Components
Animals
-- boa constrictor
-- toucan
-- poison dart frog
Plants
-- ferns
-- algae
-- rattan palms
Abiotic Components
The Amazon Rainforest has a rainy and dry season. The annual rainfall is 2104mm and the temperature range is 73 F to 86 F. (abiotic factors - Amazon rainforest, n.d.)
The poor quality of soil requires the plants to store their nutrients inside them during the raining season.
The weather includes constant rain and winds that can lead to tree fall.
Current Human Impacts
Deforestation is the main human impact on the Amazon rainforest.
-- It is estimated that 20% of the rainforest has been cut down in the last 40 years.
-- the rainforest use to cover 14% of the Earth’s surface and now it covers only 6%.
Future Human Impacts
Experts believe that if the deforestation is not reduced now, within the next 40 years there will be little to no remains of the rainforest.
The Amazon acts as one of the major ‘flywheels’ of global climate, transpiring water and generating clouds, affecting atmospheric circulation across continents and hemispheres.
Since the ongoing degradation of the Amazon, there is a threat to local climate stability and a contributor to the global atmospheric climate change crisis. (Betts, R., Malhi, Y., & Roberts, J., 2008, February 11).
Guidelines
Extend the protected areas, focusing on the biological hotspots.
We need to increase the productivity of already forested land.
We need to recycle our paper products. Less paper means less tree cutting.
References
Cattle Pastures in Deforested Amazon Now the Size of Iceland : TreeHugger. [photograph] (n.d.). Retrieved from
Location
The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America, south of the Equator
It covers 2.1 million square miles of land.
The longitude and latitude of the Amazon rainforest is longitude = 71 degrees, 45’ and 55”W and latitude = 15 degrees 31’ and 05”S.
Biotic Components
Animals
-- boa constrictor
-- toucan
-- poison dart frog
Plants
-- ferns
-- algae
-- rattan palms
Abiotic Components
The Amazon Rainforest has a rainy and dry season. The annual rainfall is 2104mm and the temperature range is 73 F to 86 F. (abiotic factors - Amazon rainforest, n.d.)
The poor quality of soil requires the plants to store their nutrients inside them during the raining season.
The weather includes constant rain and winds that can lead to tree fall.
Current Human Impacts
Deforestation is the main human impact on the Amazon rainforest.
-- It is estimated that 20% of the rainforest has been cut down in the last 40 years.
-- the rainforest use to cover 14% of the Earth’s surface and now it covers only 6%.
Future Human Impacts
Experts believe that if the deforestation is not reduced now, within the next 40 years there will be little to no remains of the rainforest.
The Amazon acts as one of the major ‘flywheels’ of global climate, transpiring water and generating clouds, affecting atmospheric circulation across continents and hemispheres.
Since the ongoing degradation of the Amazon, there is a threat to local climate stability and a contributor to the global atmospheric climate change crisis. (Betts, R., Malhi, Y., & Roberts, J., 2008, February 11).
Guidelines
Extend the protected areas, focusing on the biological hotspots.
We need to increase the productivity of already forested land.
We need to recycle our paper products. Less paper means less tree cutting.
References
Cattle Pastures in Deforested Amazon Now the Size of Iceland : TreeHugger. [photograph] (n.d.). Retrieved from
References: abiotic factors - Amazon rainforest. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://amazonrainforest-sethandjulio.weebly.com/abiotic-factors.html Human Impact - The Amazing Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://theamazingamazonia.weebly.com/human-impact.html Morello, L. (2012, September 6). Cutting Down Rainforests Also Cuts Down on Rainfall - Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cutting-down-rainforests/ Betts, R., Malhi, Y., & Roberts, J. (2008, February 11). The future of the Amazon: new perspectives from climate, ecosystem and social sciences. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367686/ Saving the Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mongabay.com/saving_brazils_forests.html Adams, G. [photograph] (2011, May 26). Slash and burn: Brazil shreds laws protecting its rainforests - Nature - Environment - The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/slash-and-burn-brazil-shreds-laws-protecting-its-rainforests-2289107.html