Monday, May 13, 2013

Chapter 17,18 Water Pollution

In early times the forest covered nearly all of the earth's surface. As recent as the 19th century tropical rain forests covered 20% of all dry land but was cut down to about 7% by the end if the 20th century.
 Due to population growth as well as Industrial growth the demand for the Rainforest resource's has been huge.
A historical aspect of rain forest deforestation took place mostly before the year 1950. (Michael Williams of History today.) During the 450 years from 1492 to c.1950 European influence has been dynamic.
http;//amozonrainforestplants.com
Each environment is directly affected by pollutants and depletion of trees. In the far North the pine  forest are diminishing due to clearcutting practices. Railroads are another source for clearcutting, these railroads add to pollution and emmisions that are harmfull to our ozone layer.

Most distruction is seen in the North American rain forests because these forests are in lowland areas they are more easily acessable and prone to mans pollution. The rainforests that are least affected are the ones in higher elevated areas with rugged peaks.

Greenhouse gases are increased in the more populated areas of the clearcutted rainforests.Because of overpopulated areas of surrounding villages the forests are losing their trees as well as being continually contaminated.

19,20,21

The tropical rainforest have been managed by mankind for thousands of years to sustain productive agriculture for the human population. 12 percent  of the Amozon is anthropogenic in nature due to the ongoing attempts to sustain ecenomic growth by developing communities and industries.

Disturbance by humans is not new to the Amozon. Indgneous people have attempted to sustain the resources of the forest which is duplicated today in different ways.
Patchworks, annual crops, pasture land, secondary growth are ways to sustain these forests. Replanting on a regular basis is a key practice to sustaining the forests.

The farming of feilds secondary to older forests can promote regrowth when clearcutting.
With a long history of disturbance by humans about two-fifths of rainforest deforestation is by shifted cultivator, usually in overpopulated areas.

Creating conditions that will initiate the growth of fruit trees and vine forests is one way that the rapid decline of these forests can be helped. Monocultures which are single crop fields, that must be replantedon a regular basis to sustain yeilds, are another way to sustain these lands.

forests with yeilds such as coffee rubber and pepper can be sustained by only farming small areas and then replanting immediately.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1002.htm

Thursday, May 9, 2013

15,,16

Important facts about the area of tropical rainforests include but are not limited to the following;

  • Over 750 species of trees live in these forests.
  • There are over 1500 different kinds of flowering plants in the tropical rainforest.
  • 125 species of mammals exists in the tropical rainforest.
  • There are more than 100 kinds of reptiles.
  • There are 60 amphibians.
  • Countless species of insects exists.
  • There are about 150 species of butterflies.
amozonrainforestplants.com
http://

How does the rain forest affect the earths water?
A flow of about twenty eight billions of gallon of water are known to flow out of the Amazon into the Atlantic ocean every minute.
Over nine feet of rain a year and fifty percent of the rain absorbed into the atmosphere, the affect on the worlds water supply is huge.
Deforestation affects all the positive benefits of the Amazon rainforest industries such as mining, cattle ranches and logging.