Organizational Method: Topical Topic : Rain-forest General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the two major cause rain-forest being destroyed. Central Idea : The area of rain-forest on earth is getting smaller, the reasons lead to this situation are deforestation and global climate change. INTRODUCTION: I. Rainforest are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000mm. A. Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests.
Rainforest ecosystems are characterised by heavy convectional rainfall, this is the rainfall that occurs in warm or tropical climates when heated air rises and cools, high humidity, and this is the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere, the abundance of vegetation and nutrient-rich but shallow soil. These factors combined give rise to a unique water and nutrient cycle. Heavy rainfall, warm temperatures and constant sunlight provides the optimum conditions for plant growth; however the much of the sunlight is blocked by the canopy formed from trees. Many plants develop immediately in-between gaps in the canopy resulting in the tropical rainforest’s dense vegetation covering 1.4 billion acres. From ground level up these levels of vegetation are: The shrub layer.
Rainforest Facts • Rainforests are home to more species of plants and animals than the rest of the world put together. • An astounding number of fruits (bananas, citrus), vegetables (peppers, okra), nuts (cashews, peanuts), drinks (coffee, tea, cola), oils (palm, coconut), flavourings (cocoa, vanilla, sugar, spices), and other foods (beans, grains, fish) come from rainforests. • We lose between 50 and 130 species every day – 2 to 5 species per hour are being lost forever due to tropical deforestation. • Tropical rainforests act as a global air conditioner - by storing and absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, storing the carbon, and releasing fresh, clean oxygen. • Over 2000 tropical forest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties.
FARMING IN THE AMAZON According to Ladatco, the Amazon is the largest and densest rainforest in the world. Its vegetation represents 1/3 of the worlds remaining forest and provides about 15% of the earth’s new oxygen. It is located in northern South America and covers 2.5 million miles. It runs through eight countries and the second largest river is in the Amazon. The rainforest contains almost 40000 different plant species.
The downside to the central highlands though are multiple thunderstorms that cause incredible damage due to lighting strikes. The capital, Antananarivo, receives almost all its average annual 1.4 meters of rainfall between the months of November and April. The dry season is nice and sunny but can be cooler in the morning time. Frost is common at the highest elevations in Madagascar and provides some of the clearest blue skies to view in the world. The west coast is much drier than the central highlands and east coast due to the winds losing humidity by the time they reach this side of island.
1/3 of population live in SE – but driest part of the UK (600-800mm p.a.) – in mountainous areas like N Wales – low population but high rainfall totals (200mm p.a) www.geobytesgcse.wordpress.com St Ivo School Geography Department - GCSE REVISION Point source pollution – contamination resulting from emissions from a particular location. Define point source pollution and give an example of this in an LIC. www.geobytesgcse.wordpress.com Fold along
“Over the time period documented, August 2012 to February 2013, the rates [of deforestation] increased an estimated 26.82% and an area of the Amazon larger than the size of the city of London disappeared” (“Deforestation Takes Flight in the Amazon”). In the Amazon over 6 months an area larger than London has disappeared. It’s no wonder with the Amazon losing so many
The tropical climate is characterized by constant high temperatures. All twelve months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm (2.4 in), whereas in the savanna climate, the annual precipitation is contrastingly 25 mm. In the dry climates (group B) contains: arid and semiarid climates. Desert regions on the West coast are much cooler, due to the nearby presence of cold ocean currents and frequent cloud cover. The mesothermal climate (group C) consists: mediterranean, humid-subtropic, and oceanic climates.
Some of which include, global warming, destruction of habitat, and soil erosion. Global Warming has gradually increased over the years and the destruction of the Amazon is one of the reasons why. Steve Schwartzman, director of tropical forest policy for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), discussed how much the Amazon actually plays a part in all of this. He states that, “About 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from tropical deforestation – more than from all the worlds’ cars, trucks, trains, ships and airplanes combined.” Rapid climate change is one of the biggest threats when dealing with the rainforest because so much of our Earths supply of greenhouse gases comes from it. The EDF is concerned that if more of the Amazon is cut down and global warming continues to be on the rise, the remaining rainforest will soon turn into a savanna.
Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. It’s size is unmatched by other rainforests, because it covers over forty percent of South America, and is present in nine different countries. The total area of the Amazon consists of 1.7 billion acres, with 1.4 billion acres of dense forests. It is such a vast ecosystem, providing a home to one-fifth of the worlds plants and birds, as well as one-tenth of the world’s mammals. It is easy to see why this rainforest is so marveled upon.