Hot Air Balloons, Plate Boundary - Essay Example

? Geology work Geology work 3. The term ‘landscape’ has been defined in a number of ways. According to some, landscape can be defined “as a portion of heterogeneous territory composed of sets of interacting ecosystems that are repeated in a similar fashion in space” (Forman, Godron, & Bertrand, 2003, p.43). Generally, landscapes in Southern California are flat and mountainous in nature. In addition, rolling hills constitute a major highlight of Southern California landscapes. The largest natural landscape along the South Californian coast is Santa Ana Mountains. The most attractive landscape feature found in Los Angeles is the parking lot (cited in Ben-Joseph, 2012). Geographic data indicate that parking lots cover roughly one third of the land area in Los Angeles. Mainly built structures form the landscapes of Los Angeles. It is also found that certain types of rocks including igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks are some influencing elements of landscapes in Southern California. Natural changes to these rocks significantly influence the structure of the region’s landscapes. References Ben-Joseph, E. (2012). When a parking lot is so much more. The New York Times: The Opinion Pages. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/opinion/when-a-parking-lot-is-so-much-more.html?_r=1 Forman, Godron & Bertrand. (2003). Landscape ecology: Definition of a multidisciplinary approach. In. F. Burel & J. Baudry (Eds), Landscape Ecology: Concepts, Methods, and Applications. USA: Science Publishers. 4. Plate boundary can be simply referred to a point where two or more plates meet. A plate boundary has altered the land in New Zealand. The plate boundary between Pacific and Australian Plates separates New Zealand territory (What on Earth, 2012). As per reports, throughout South Island, it is observed that both Pacific Plate and Australian Plate slide pass each other and this movement leads to a “slight obduction of the Pacific Plate over the Australian Plate” (Real Integrity Mall, 2012). Consequently, this sliding process resulted in the formation of Alpine Fault and Southern Alps. Similarly, in the Fiordland south region, the sliding process causes the subduction of the Australian Plate under the Pacific Plate and thereby the formation of Puysegur Trench (Real Integrity Mall, 2012). The plate boundary location has changed over time. It seems that such movements cause changes to earth’s geological structure and ultimately alter land in which the plate boundary is located. References Real Integrity Mall. (2012). Geology of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://mall-uk.realint.com/keyword/Geology+of+New+Zealand What on Earth. (2012). Plate tectonics, spreading ridges, triple junctions. Australian Plate. Retrieved from http://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/plates/australian.asp 5. Headland is a hard feature. As Nordstrom (2000) describes, a headland can be simply defined as a land point with higher altitude and extended shape into a body of water. Headlands are comprised of harder and highly resistant rock and inlets; and generally headlands are formed as a result of sea attacks on coast comprising of alternating bands of soft and hard rock (p. 108). Ultimately, this hard feature is shaped by erosion. Cape Canaveral situated in Florida is a well known example of headland. Cliff is a soft feature. As Jackman and Wren (2000) define, a cliff is simply a rough vertical rock exposure; and erosion and weathering processes lead to the formation of cliffs. Studies reveal that cliffs are structured as erosions landforms, due to rocks that are highly resistant to the processes of erosion and weathering. Sedimentary and igneous rocks are more likely to form features such as cliffs. Royal Gorge cliffs located in Colorado is an example of cliff. Reference Jackman, J & Wren, W. (2000). Developing Non-Fiction Skills. UK: Nelson Thornes. Nordstrom, K. F. (2000). Beaches and Dunes of Developed Coasts. USA: Cambridge University Press. 6. Generally, hot air balloons typically launch and fly in the morning. Stable wind is a vital element for these balloons to operate effectively. It is easy to find stable wind during the hours just following sunrise. It is obvious that the balloons move with air and hence weather plays a crucial role in taking a potential decision regarding flight. In short, hot air balloon would get more favorable flying conditions only in the morning time. Hot air balloons do not have a proper steering mechanism or forward propulsion. As Rathbun (2010) points out, it is possible for the pilot to control only vertical travel of the air balloon; and in order to travel in a particular direction, the pilot must find a proper altitude where the wind would direct the balloon to the desired direction. Hence, according to Rathbun (2010), the flying efficiency of hot air balloons is dependent on wind currents to a large extent. If there is no wind, then even the world’s best pilot will never get the desired direction. In short, the steering mechanism of hot air balloons is controlled by the intensity and direction of wind flow. Hot air balloon is an example of convectional lifting (Pidwirny, 2006). References Pidwirny, M. (2006). Cloud Formation Processes. Fundamentals of Physical Geography. Retrieved from http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8e.html Rathbun, A. (2010). Abroad a hot air balloon, let yourself be light. Herald Net. Retrieved from http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090712/LIVING/707129920 7. It is identified that local weather greatly relates to local climate. An increase or decrease in the atmospheric temperature can have great influence on local climate (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). To illustrate, higher atmospheric temperature may lead to increased rate of water evaporation which would result in increased level of precipitation. Such a situation may cause droughts in the particular local area since air has an increased capacity to hold water. Ultimately, the area’s overall climate distribution may be changed and therefore the region would get little rain. Studies clearly indicate that man made formations like urban centers and green spaces may directly affect a region’s local climate or weather. For instance, number of vehicles and industrial concerns will be high in urban centers and naturally there would be increased rate of green house gas emissions. These types of harmful emissions directly cause depletion of ozone layer and thereby lead to global warming and climate change (NASA, n.d.). The number of industrial concerns in my city (Los Angeles) is greater than that of other Californian cities. Hence, the city has a higher CO2 emission rate and this issue has notably changed the city’s weather pattern over the last two decades. It is predicted that Los Angeles will experience a gradual increase in annual average temperature over the next three decades (C-Change. La. 2012). References C-Change. La. (2012).Temperature: Mid_century warming in the Los Angeles region. NASA. (n.d). A blanket around the earth. Global Climate Change. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/ United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Future climate change. Retrieved from http://epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html 8. It is important for scientists to study the whole solar system because of several reasons. As Lunine et al (2010) states, “study of the planets of our solar system provides detailed information on atmospheric and surface processes that has already provided dividends in interpreting observations of extrasolar planets” (Lunine, Hammel, Schaller, Sonneborn, Orton, Rieke, & Rieke, 2010). In addition, solar system studies namely focusing on distant and primitive bodies would assist scientists to gather information about the formation of solar system. To illustrate, by identifying the substance from which the solar system was formed, it is possible to manage the cycle of matter in the galaxy. According to Lunine et al (2010), solar system studies may aid the science world to explore spectroscopic features that are capable of indicating biological or prebiotic organic processes; hence, telescopic observations may be considered as remote sensing searches for life. According to McEvoy (1989), erosion is a good example of an earth process that is commonly found in the solar system. References Lunine, J., Hammel, H & Schaller, E., Sonneborn, G., Orton, G., Rieke, G & Rieke, M. (2010). JWST planetary observations within the solar system. 1-27. Retrieved from http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/doc-archive/white-papers/JWST_Solar_System.pdf McEvoy, T. J. (1989). Private forests: Commonsense erosion control. American Forests. Read More