OUGD505 STUDIO BRIEF TWO - RESEARCH - DESTRUCTION OF THE AMAZON COULD ALTER GLOBAL WEATHER

Weather patterns and the climate can be affected by the increasing loss of the Amazon rainforest. With the Amazon rainforest being so large, it has effects on not only the continental weather but also global weather due to it's sheer scale.
The World Bank released a report in 2011 discussing how the deforestation of the Amazon could turn it from a carbon sink to a carbon source, as the density of the trees in the Amazon absorb a lot of the carbon dioxide, however as the ecosystem changes and trees are destroyed, it could start to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, which would in turn affect global temperatures.
If the deforestation of the Amazon goes on for much longer, the rainforest could go from a moist, tropical forest system, to something much drier, savanna system. If this occurred it would have a massive impact on the species living in the rainforest.
Also, around 20% of fresh river water in the world comes from the Amazon River, and the drying up of the rainforest will have a negative impact on this water source. Changes to the Amazon River would affect the entire current off the coast of South America, which could affect the jet stream, which would then create a knock on effect of changing weather patterns across the globe.
The Amazon River is also home to the most fish species in the world. If deforestation goes beyond a certain point then the terrestrial species would be lost, and the hydrological system would be completely changed as well, causing flooding within the Amazon as the river already rises up several metres in the rainy season, and with forests cut back this would increase the change of widespread flooding, as there would be no trees to soak up the water.
A lot of Brasil's energy comes from hydropower, and a change to the flow of the river would affect the amount of energy that would be produced.
Too much change to an ecosystem such as the Amazon can create a chain reaction affecting it's special and general environment, and at the moment we don't know exactly what this chain reaction will result in.

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