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Rainforests - Coggle Diagram

- - - - High temperatures, intense sunlight and high rainfall sustain a high NPP (Amazonia accounts for 20% of all terrestrial NPP)
      - Decomposition is rapid due to high temperatures and humidity, which re taken up by tree root systems, and emits CO2 into the atmosphere
      - Limestone deposits in the West are significant stores in the slow carbon cycle
      - Rapid nutrient cycling due to high temperatures means little carbon stored in pedosphere
    - - Deforestation - Tree biomass represents around 60% of of all carbon in the ecosystem. Deforestation depletes this.
      - Also depletes the flow of carbon t the atmosphere as soils can support fewer decomposers. As the forest is only sustained by a rapid nutrient cycle, when this is damaged the forest cannot survive. Without trees for interception, soils are eroded
- - - - Physical
        
        Geology - Large areas of impermeable crystalline rock in the Amazon mean that there is little geological storage of water, resulting in rapid runoff
        
        Relied - Much of the basin is extensive lowlands, meaning overland flow and through flow are common. Extensive floodplains such as the Pantanal store large amounts of water, slowing its movement
        
        Temperature - High temperatures mean high EVT. Strong convection leads to high humidity and the development of intense precipitation. Cycling is rapid
      - Human
        
        Deforestation - Since 1970 almost 20% of primary forest has been destroyed or degraded. This has led to flooding, such as the Madeira river in 2014, killing 60 people. Converting forest to grassland increases the run off by a factor of 27
        
        Cont - Deforestation reduces water storage in soil (eroded due to thinness) forest trees, permeable rocks and in the atmosphere. Soils are eroded, meaning decomposition can't occur
        
        Fewer trees also means less EVT and precipitation, reducing the ability of the amazon to sustain itself. this is what keeps the Amazon alive, and disrupting the cycle may lead to a tipping point.