Amazon Rainforest Case Study - AQA A-Level Geography

**IMPORTANT, PLEASE OPEN** I realised after doing an exam question that I haven't added a lot about carbon. so here's a little (or a lot) information about Carbon and the Amazon Rainforest: Impacts of deforestation Carbon Forest degradation and deforestation in the Amazon account for 10% of global carbon emissions from land-use change. In a 2020 study, over 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been deforested since 1970’s, 10,000 square km per year lost in recent years. Shift to carbon emitter from being a carbon sink (1bln tonnes of CO2 absorbed per year), due to land conversion, reduced forest regrowth, increased frequency of forest fires. Carbon impacts Soils Holds 200 bln tonnes of carbon in soils however, deforestation and land conversion to agriculture disturbs soil and releases large amounts of carbon where land is cleared for agriculture or burned in wildfires, 30-60% of the soil’s carbon can be released into the atmosphere. A study suggests that restoring 12% of degraded lands in the Amazon could sequester about 1.7 bln tonnes of CO2 per year, offsetting large portions of emissions resulting from deforestation and land use changes. Forest fires Wildfires exacerbated by droughts can disrupt carbon storage. in 2019, Brazil experienced a 30% increase in forest fires compared to previous years, which led to significant release of carbon. Forest fires could release 1.5bln tonnes of CO2 annually if they continue at high rates. Droughts a 2C rise in global temperatures could lead to a 40-50% decline in the Amazon’s carbon storage capacity. Warmer temps also reduce the forests ability to store carbon through photosynthesis and increase risk of forest dieback. 2 severe droughts, 2005 notably, where forests released more carbon than it absorbed for the first time in decades. Negative Feedback Loop CO2 fertiliser effect : increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, promotes plant growth, which takes in the CO2 from atmosphere to return to the dynamic equilibrium This effect may be limited due to warming and drought, the growth of new trees may slow down, carbon stores in older, mature trees may be lost due to mortality. Positive Feedback Loop Loss of Amazon’s carbon sink could create a feedback loop where warming caused by increase in CO2 accelerates destruction of forest, leading to higher emissions, could make it harder to meet global climate targets, e.g. Paris Agreement ** Thanks for reading, hope this helps ** Amazon Rainforest Case Study AQA A-Level Geography, Water and Carbon If you find any errors in the video please comment in order to inform other listeners :) I'm a A Level student currently studying Geography, so excuse the awkwardness, mishaps, all that! Thank you and hope it helps you out.