Why is the Amazon a suitable case study of the water and carbon cycles in a tropical rainforest?

It is the largest rainforest on Earth, about 5.5 million km² across nine countries with around 60% in Brazil, and it stores roughly 150–200 billion tonnes of carbon while recycling much of its own rainfall.

What are the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon?

Clearance for cattle pasture, which occupies most cleared land, soya farming, logging, mining and road building such as the BR-163 highway, which opens new areas to settlers.

How has the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon changed since 2004?

Annual loss peaked at about 27,800 km² in 2004, fell to about 4,600 km² by 2012, rose again to about 13,000 km² in 2021, and fell to about 6,300 km² in 2024 as enforcement was restored.

How has deforestation affected the Amazon's role in the carbon cycle?

Clearance and fire release stored carbon, and a 2021 study of air samples found that the south-eastern Amazon has become a net source of carbon dioxide rather than a sink.

AQA A-Level Geography 7037

Water and Carbon Cycles

Topic overview Systems, Stores and Flows Mass Balance in Water and Carbon Stores Fieldwork and the Rainforest Case Study Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion Spearman's Rank, Chi-Square and Data Analysis Scatter Graphs, Triangular Graphs and Logarithmic Scales Atlas, Thematic and Flow-Line Maps OS Maps, Sketch Maps and Field Sketches Remote Sensing, GIS and Big Data Qualitative Data, Questionnaires and Interviews Sampling, Accuracy and Measurement Error Data Misuse and Research Ethics The Global Water Stores Evaporation, Condensation and Cloud Formation Precipitation and Cryospheric Processes The Drainage Basin as an Open System Infiltration and Overland Flow The Water Balance Equation Flood Hydrographs Human Impacts on the Water Cycle The Global Carbon Stores Photosynthesis, Respiration and Carbon Transfer Farming, Land Use and Carbon Sinks Greenhouse Gases and Links between the Cycles Feedback Loops and Climate Change Carbon Sequestration and Mitigation Mass Balance in a Drainage Basin Unit Conversion and Flux Calculations Line Graphs, Bar Graphs and Pie Charts Water and Carbon Cycles in the Tropical Rainforest The Amazon rainforest case study Stores within a River Catchment Transfers and the Controls on Catchment Hydrology The River Eden catchment case study

Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape

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Coastal Systems and LandscapesLandscape

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Glacial Systems and LandscapesLandscape

Topic overview Glaciers as Systems: Inputs, Stores and Flows Ice-Albedo and Negative Feedback Dynamic Equilibrium, Landforms and Landscapes The Glacial Mass Budget and Ice Movement The Distribution of Cold Environments Climate, Soils and Vegetation in Cold Environments Corrie Formation Glacial Troughs and Hanging Valleys Roches Moutonnées, Drumlins and Erratics Moraines, Till and Fluvioglacial Landforms Periglacial Landforms and Processes Thermokarst and Landform Distribution The Fragility of Cold Environments Impacts and Management of Cold Environments Fieldwork Skills in Glaciated Environments Glacial Case Study Requirements Cwm Idwal and the Ogwen valley case study Alaska as a contrasting glaciated landscape

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Changing Places

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Water and Carbon Cycles

The Amazon rainforest case study

3 things to know
Component 1

Overview

The Amazon as the rainforest case study: its water recycling and carbon store, the causes and changing rate of deforestation since 2004, drought, and the Soy Moratorium, protected areas and the Amazon Fund evaluated.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Process

How does the Amazon rainforest recycle water?

Process

How does deforestation affect the water cycle of the Amazon?

Process

How have protected areas and the Amazon Fund been used to manage the rainforest?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Why is the Amazon a suitable case study of the water and carbon cycles in a tropical rainforest?
Model answer
It is the largest rainforest on Earth, about 5.5 million km² across nine countries with around 60% in Brazil, and it stores roughly 150–200 billion tonnes of carbon while recycling much of its own rainfall.
2
How does the Amazon rainforest recycle water?
Model answer
Evapotranspiration from the dense canopy returns a large share of rainfall to the atmosphere, so a quarter to a half of the rain over the basin is recycled moisture, and 'flying rivers' of water vapour carry rain on to southern Brazil and the farmland of the south.
3
What are the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon?
Model answer
Clearance for cattle pasture, which occupies most cleared land, soya farming, logging, mining and road building such as the BR-163 highway, which opens new areas to settlers.
4
How has the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon changed since 2004?
Model answer
Annual loss peaked at about 27,800 km² in 2004, fell to about 4,600 km² by 2012, rose again to about 13,000 km² in 2021, and fell to about 6,300 km² in 2024 as enforcement was restored.
5
How has deforestation affected the Amazon's role in the carbon cycle?
Model answer
Clearance and fire release stored carbon, and a 2021 study of air samples found that the south-eastern Amazon has become a net source of carbon dioxide rather than a sink.
6
How does deforestation affect the water cycle of the Amazon?
Model answer
Less canopy means less interception and evapotranspiration, so more rapid run-off, soil erosion and less recycled rainfall; scientists warn that losing about a fifth to a quarter of the forest could tip parts of it into drier savanna.

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