Are there any advantages of Urban heat islands?
I can say from experience that it stays warmer in the cities than in the country - reducing the need for heating, but also making the snow on the roads melt faster. As for crops.... I don't really know of any cities that grow crops. I'm sure there are people who garden and take advantage of the warmer temperatures.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a densely populated region?
AdvantagesMore people to supportMore social contacts.Good local facilities.Better employment opportunities.Good public transport.Shorter journeys.Modern high-rise buildings also provide breathing space for more affluent urban dwellers.Great range of recreational activities. Best museums, art galleries, restaurants, shopping stores and libraries etc are found in the areas which have high population to support.Cultural diversity and intermixing of different cultures and ideas.Better public spaces.Better sense of community.Acceptance of reduced parking (use of cars and private vehicles will be lesser due to high density and overcrowding).Professional organisation of space (not always).Better accessibility to great range of goods and services.Greater ease of living.More economic growth than the regions which are sparsely populated.DisadvantagesCost of living is high.Poor sound insulation.Overcrowding and traffic congestion.Poor public transport.High land prizes and thus reduced affordability due to restricted land supply.Higher construction costs. As a result there are few leniencies for wasted space and clumsy designs when there is less room to play with.Higher crime levels. Higher densities means more people and mostly diverse population. This raises a possible concern regarding crime levels.Lesser green spaces and trees.Air and noise pollution.Hierarchical residential systems based on economic strata are developed in densely populated regions. Slums are one of the best examples.Beauty of local landscape is lost.
Why is an Indo-Gangetic Plain very important for India?
I will just make it simple.Indo Gangetic plain gained its importance since Tertiary period.1) Indo Gangetic plains provided the basic human needs (Food, water, clothing and Shelter) without any additional efforts. Most of the early civilizations like Harrapan/Indus valley civilization started due to this reason.2) Indo-Gangetic plain gained important because fertile alluvial plain supports Agriculture Activities.3) Availability of Fresh water because major rivers like Ganga, Yamuna & Brahmaputra flow in this region.4)Major battles took place in this region because Invaders like Aryans and Mughals who came through Khyber pass found this place suitable for their settlement.5) During Tertiary period, Gangetic plains were adjacent to Himalays(Rocky Terrain) and Deccan plateau (Dense forest), movement towards South started only in the Iron-age after chopping down trees.6) Even today it still got significant importance because most of the perineal rivers still flow in this region.7)Most of the Hydroelectric power plants like Tehri, Bhakra Nangal, karcham wangtoo and Dehar dam located here. Indirectly these perineal rivers contribute to more than half of India's Electric power generation.8)Many religions and Cultures flourish here because these plains are inhibited by different people through the history.Thanks for Reading.
How does gravel prevent soil from eroding?
Gravel is stone particles that are too large to be considered part of the soil. The largest soil particles are sand, which may have a maximum diameter of 2 mm. In general, the larger the particle, the more force is required to move, or erode it. However, clay is less erodible because clay particles stick together, forming larger structures that require more force to move than, for example, single grain silt. Gravel, being relatively large and massive, requires more force to move than any soil particle. If a soil is covered with gravel, gravel can protect the soil from the impact of raindrops, which loosen soil particles. It can also resist and slow the overland flow of water, and shield the soil surface from wind. Gravel can also conserve water within the soil. People in some desert areas use stone mulch to protect soil from direct sunlight and conserve moisture withing the soil.
What are the effects of soil moisture and wind speed on wind erosion?
The more moist the soil, the less likely for bad soil erosion due to wind. The way that water molecules bind themselves together, and how they hold together in the soil is a very strong bond. This cohesiveness will be evident all the way up the column of soil as long as their is a good percentage of soil moisture.If the soil moisture starts to fall, the water in the soil column will be less, the soil will be drier and be more sensitive to wind erosion.Wind speed is always hard to calculate as a factor with regards to its capabilities of causing erosion. Your soil moisture will have an effect on what the speed will have to be. The size of the soil particles at the surface will be a factor in the equation. How much ground cover is there? Is the field freshly prepared, nice and flat and level, with nothing covering it? Or - has the farmer taken a disc across the field that he harvested his corn from. He has used the disc to loosen the soil and to cut up the stalks and root balls left after the harvest - but, the farmer has not removed them. They then become an impedance to wind speed. Another question - is this field one field in a long line of miles of fields? With little to nothing separating the fields from each other more than a barbed wire fence. In this instance, there is nothing to impede the wind over a long distance and that could spell disaster relating to wind erosion.The lessons learned by the farmers and people in Agriculture after the horrors of the Dust Bowl of the Central US in the 1920’s and 30’s was what led to the development of ‘shelter belts’. Rows of trees that were planted to separate each individual field from the next. Some times it was several rows of trees. Along a roadway, there were trees planted in order to create a block on the wind. All of this may have been very beneficial in helping to reduce wind erosion. Sadly, however, recently, we are seeing that many farms and farmers are cutting these shelter belts down to once again maximize the amount of area they can plant. This practice might turn around and be bad for them in the future.If you have the ability to - look to the Universal Soil Loss Equation. Soil moisture is one of the prime factors in the equation - wind speeds are not.