EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Changes in land cover continue to impact local-to global-scale weather and climate by altering the flow of energy, water, and greenhouse gases between the land and the atmosphere. Reforestation can foster localized cooling, while in urban areas, continued warming is expected to exacerbate urban heat island effects.

Detailed explanation-2: -First, population growth results in the outward expansion of urban areas (sometime population decline also can be a precursor to sprawl). Second, rising incomes allow residents to purchase larger living space.

Detailed explanation-3: -urban sprawl, also called sprawl or suburban sprawl, the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns, often characterized by low-density residential housing, single-use zoning, and increased reliance on the private automobile for transportation.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sprawl development consists of three basic spatial forms: low-density (radial) sprawl, ribbon and leapfrog development (Barnes et al., 2001). Radial sprawl is the consumptive use of land for urban purposes along the margins of existing metropolitan areas.