The Forest Buddies      
Save The Forests, Save Our Lives
   
 
Fresh water
Introduction

One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the Amazon Basin. Trees and plants play a very important role in the hydrological cycle.

Interception

Canopies intercept precipitation. Some rainwater evaporates back to the atmosphere. This is known as canopy interception.

When rain falls, the rainwater is trapped by leaves. This reduces raindrop impact on the soil as the raindrops fall to the ground. Improved infiltration and less soil erosion are the benefits of a reduced raindrop impact.

The canopies intercept precipitation
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)
Decreasing surface run-off  
   
Water falls slowly from the leaves
(Photograph taken by the Forest Buddies Team)
The rainforest can form catchments for water. Leaves help to retard the rate at which water reaches the ground. This allows more water to collect in the underground. The trunks of trees help to slow down surface runoff too.

Decreasing the rate of surface run-off stabilises local climates and maintain soil fertility. Roots of plants aerate the soil. This aids the infiltration of water and prevents rapid runoff that can cause floods.

Transpiration

The forests maintains the water cycle through transpiration. Excess water is lost through the stomata during the process of transpiration. When it is very hot, the stomata will decrease in size to conserve water, thus preventing excessive water loss. There are more stomata on the undersurface of the leaf compared to the top surface of the leaf.

Organic residue of plants

Plant litter and other organic residue also affect the properties of soil. This changes the capacity of soil to store water.
 
Sources:
Water cycle. (2007, December 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:53, December 27, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_cycle&oldid=177724768