The Effects of Amazon Deforestation on Climate Change

The Effects of Amazon Deforestation on Climate Change Jaci Ullrich, Mallorie Briggs, and Andi Leonard

What is the Amazon Rainforest? Largest rainforest Known as the "lungs of the planet" Covers 2. 1 million square miles of South America Produce about 20% of the planet's oxygen 9 nations including Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Amazon River Basin covers 2. 9 million square miles

Why is the Amazon Important? Ecosystems Biodiversity Climate Storage bank for carbon dioxide

Amazon Deforestation Rainforest looses the equivalent of 2 football fields a minute 90% illegal deforestation About 70% of which is used for cattle ranching (leading cause) The 2, 000 -mile Trans-Amazonian Highway

Deforestation and Albedo

Deforestation and Rainfall

Circles increased rainfall—triangles decreased rainfall Red- Amazon, Yellow-River Basin, Blue- Southeast Asia forests

Figure 1: Increase deforestation decrease rainfall Figure 2: Clear Cutting vs selective cutting

The way in which forests are cut down also effects rainfall Significant difference when patches are cut with the direction of prevailing winds (b) vs when no relation to prevailing winds (a) 2010 Saad, S. I. , da Rocha, H. R. , Silva Dias, M. A. F. & Rosolem, R. Can the deforestation breeze change the rainfall in Amazonia?

Season Cycle of precipitation solid= control dotted= deforested CRU climatology Greater difference between intact forest and deforested areas in the northern Amazonia throughout all models

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Change in Surface Temperatures 1970 -2000 Warm events- El Nino Cool Events- La Nina Larger variation during El Nino years for surface temp and rainfall. • If El Nino years are increasing in frequency, global impacts could be greater then predicted.

Soil Quality Infertile Richness and productivity lies in the vegetation Slash-and-burn method used for agriculture Short-term solution

Forest Fires

Carbon Dioxide Currently a sink Could become a net source 20% of emmissions arise from deforestation Amazon accounted for 1. 5% increase Amount of CO 2 absorbed has decreased by a third This is about 1 billion tonnes of CO 2 Amazon accounts for 25% of the carbon abosrbed each year

I. Trend in biomass (amount of carbon stored) II. Trend in productivity (tree growth) III. Trend in biomass mortality (tree deaths)

Solutions Sustainable forestry Erosion control Forest stewardship Economic incentives REDD Protected areas Satellite monitoring

What you can do Making sustainable decisions Be mindful of what you eat Fair Trade or organic Rainforest Alliance, the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), or the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Do research on the products you buy

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