The Amazon Rainforest – The Lungs of the WorldEveryone has probably heard of the danger of deforesta
The Amazon Rainforest – The Lungs of the WorldEveryone has probably heard of the danger of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest; the loss of biodiversity, and release of CO2 into the atmosphere. But the Amazon Rainforest also plays an integral role in the hydrologic cycle, both locally and globally.Soils, trees, and rocks act as a natural storm buffer. When a storm floods a region, a well forested watershed will mitigate the effects of rain when it infiltrates a mosaic of vegetative roots and plant matter. When it rains over a deforested area however, it forms sheets and channels which lead to severe erosion of topsoil. This loss of topsoil not only affects terrestrial productivity, but aquatic as well; when it runs into streams and rivers through a process known as sedimentation. But the Amazon plays another important role in the Hydrologic cycle; and that is global water balance. The transpiration of a forest of such great scale passes its water-abundance northward through Latin America, and as far reaching as Texas. This “leap-frog” of water in the form of large scale transpiration is an important role in the hydrologic balance across North and South America. Disruption of this system may lead to changes in precipitation across the entire western hemisphere. There is one shimmer of hope. Deforestation rate in the Amazon Rainforest has slowed from 2.8m hectares/year in 2004 to just 750,000 hectares/year in 2009. Hopefully this trend will continue. -GAEGISSourceshttp://amazonwatch.org/work/climate-change-and-the-amazon-rainforesthttp://www.economist.com/node/17093495Photo CreditAndre Penner/AP/AP -- source link
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