2. Environmental Diversity, resources, hazards of Latin America
Subtitle

3. Physiography

4. Notice altitudinal differences In highlands
Notice altitudinal differences In highlands. Andes Mountain chain Patagonian Highlands Brazilian Highlands Guyana Highlands Central Lowlands

5. Andes Volcanic chain of mountains; many active
The only mountains that are taller than the Andes are the Himalaya Mountains and their adjacent ranges, including the Hindu Kush. The average elevation in the Andes is about 13,000 feet ; highest elevation in the Andes is Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, which is 22,841 feet (highest peak in Rockies is 14,000 ft)
Volcanic chain of mountains; many active

6. subduction
Earth’s crust us divided into large plates that move slowly. Plates are enormous slabs of rock. When they are forced to move against one another, earthquakes are generated. When the plates are forced to sink beneath continents, they go to depths where the internal temperature is high and the plates melt. The molten rock then comes up to the surface in volcanoes.
Andes is volcanic mountain cahin caused by subduction

7. Altitudinal zonation
Temperature drops 3.5 degrees (F) for every 1000 ft gain in elevation
In each elevation zone,
Climate, vegetation, agriculture, lifestyles vary.

8. Latitudinal differences for tierra caliente

10. Tierra Nevada (permanent snow and ice)
No permanent human occupants
When some snow/ice melt, keeps water
reserves high
Tierra Helada – ft.
“páramo” in northern Andes; “puna” in Andes of Peru and Bolivia
Mining, herding of sheep, llamas, alpacas
Deer, vicuña, guanaco (wild)
Vicuna and guanaco are wild

11. Tierra Fria: 6000 – ft.
Lower elevations: maize and beans; higher elevations: tubers (potatoes) Sheep herding, wheat, barley, broad beans, alfalfa, fruit trees, dairy cows Major population centers: Bogotá, Colombia Quito, Ecuador La Paz, Bolivia Sucre, Bolivia Cuzco, Peru

13. Tierra Templada 2500 – 6000 ft.
Absence of frost (much of Central America is in this altitudinal zone)
Coffee and cacao
Sugar cane, citrus, cotton, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, maize

14. Tierra Caliente (sea level to 2500 ft.)
Year-round high temps
High diversity; disease and pest problems
Cacoa, manioc (cassava), sweet potatoes, peanuts

15. Climate change in andes
Slides
Glaciers (important source of meltwater for pastures and drinking) are receding
Tierra Helada is getting smaller
Used for llama; now grain is growing there
Rainfall patterns are changing
Potato Park

16. Altiplano
Intermontane plateau between eastern and western ranges of Andes
In Bolivia and Peru
averages ft.
Lake Titicaca is northern limit
La Paz
Solares (due to internal drainage)

18. La Paz, Bolivia (metro area 2.3 million)

20. llareta
llareta
Llareta plant: compact, hard, lives thousands of years

21. Orographic Effect
Mountains force air to lift, cooling temperatures, forcing cloud and precipitation formation
Windward side of mountain is wet
Lee side of mountain is in rainshadow (dry)

22. Patagonian desert is in rain shadow of southern Andes

23. Buenaventura, Colombia (windward):
394 cm of rain
Cali, Colombia (leeward) :
97 cm of rain

24. WIND Puerto Rico Windward side : San Juan : 60 “ annually
Leeward side : Ponce: 36 “

25. Amazon flowed east to west until Andes rose and reversed flow

26. Mineral wealth
As Andes formed, sediments from continent filled Peru-Chile trench,
Sediments were folded and compressed as mountains rose,
produced veins of copper, silver, tin, lead, iron, gold
Chuquicamata
Largest open pit
copper mine

27. Ocean invaded former land areas
mya:
Ocean invaded former land areas
Large shallow seas
These organic sediments formed basis of oil deposits:
Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil

28. North and South America were separated by ocean until after 60 mya
60 mya, subduction formed an island arc and the Cuba Yucatan land bridge
Later island arc formed in gap between Mexico and South America and eventually created Central American land bridge (3 mya)

29. “Great Exchange” of flora and fauna

30. Climate in Latin America
Latitudinal zones

31. A tropical B dry C temperate H highland
Guajira
A tropical B dry C temperate H highland
Atacama
Patagonian

32. Tropical climates
Equatorial climate high rain all year Tropical Monsoonal surrounds equatorial a short dry season Tropical Savanna longer dry season example: cerrado in Brazil

33. 2 Environmental concerns in tropical south america :
Deforestation
Extremely high biodiversity of tropical rain forest:
Layered canopy
Microhabitats
Nutrients in biomass; sensitive to disturbance
Carbon cycling
Regional hydrologic cycle
Destruction of indigenous cultures
2. Endangered cerrado

34. Biodiversity 7% global area; 50% species
Most species not yet identified

35. Carbon cycling Forests store carbon
Released into atmosphere when burned
15% total CO2 is from land-use change, predominantly deforestation.
If forests are not replaced, carbon release is permanent.
Tropical forests have capacity to absorb atmospheric CO2.
Do 20% global photosynthesis
Amazon uptake = 10% global emissions
Removing forests removes this uptake ability

36. Effects on hydrologic cycle:
Deforestation decreases precipitation in Amazon interior
Prevailing wind
forest
Atlantic
forest
Atlantic
evapotranspiration
evaporation
(interior)
Amazon basin
Atlantic
Ocean