This paper suggests that further exploitation and increased specific data bring to light new patterns in the biogeographic model for the arid region of Australia.
Abstract Arrival of the original Australians has long been a topic of debate amongst anthropologists and archaeologists. The questions of why, how and when Greater Australia was colonized are often asked. The biogeographic colonization model proposed by Peter Veth has galvanized archaeologists into pursuing specific questions at regional levels. This paper looks at that model using the following format.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Arid Region
Paleoenvironment
Islands in the Interior
Central Refuge
Corridors
Barriers
Dissecting the Islands
Biogeographic Regions
Technology
Social Transformation
Summary
Future Research
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Paleoenvironment information is derived from 'geomorphological and paleoecological research in Australia and New Guinea? (Mulvaney and Kamminga 1999). Sites at Lake Fromme, Lake Eyre and Willandra indicate higher precipitation rates from 40,000 to 25,000 BP, followed by a colder drier climate c. 21,000 ? 15,000 BP, known as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). During the LGM sea levels were 130 metres below present shorelines increasing Australia's overall land area, connecting New Guinea in the North and Tasmania to the South. Mulvaney (1999:116) suggests a reduction in warm surrounding ocean and increased landmass was responsible for creating intense inland aridity. Paradoxically, the intense aridity associated with the LGM palaeoenvironment coincides with human occupation dates for the arid region. Although, Ross et al., (Lourandos 1992) maintains ?The arid interior has always been dry, in geomorphic terms.? During this period, inland lake levels fluctuated until c. 14,000 BP when most inland lakes became dry, possibly extending the arid area into present day semi?arid boundaries (Fig. 1) until "a general climatic amelioration [began] towards the start of the Holocene" (Lourandos 1997)."
Abstract This paper provides a history of Phoenix, Arizona, with a breakdown of its population, economy and resources. It particularly focuses on how well the city has adapted to its arid geography. It discusses how the residents of Phoenix have come to grips with their scarce water resources and then analyzes how compatible the city's economic activities are with these arid land constraints. The paper concludes by discussing the various types of socio-cultural organizations that have emerged in response to these ecological conditions and the future outlook for Phoenix.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Demographics
Economy and Resources
Socio-Cultural Organizations in Phoenix
Future Prospects for Phoenix
Conclusion
From the Paper "The same features that have historically attracted new residents to Phoenix can be reasonably expected to remain important to the city's growth in the future. In fact, given the rapidly retiring Baby Boom generation, it may well be that Phoenix becomes one of the five largest cities in the United States over the next 10-20 years. This growth rate is assuming, of course, that the water problems looming large on the horizon for the city can be solved today, because tomorrow will be too late. According to Mack and Varady (1995), "When examining water management, particularly in an urban setting, key issues include quantity (water supply), sewerage (water and waste removal), and quality. All three subjects bear directly on human health, and all are closely interrelated" (8)."
Abstract Soil is an incredibly important resource and maintaining the fertility of our soils is a pressing issue at the forefront of environmental science as we try to feed an expanding global population. Queensland, Australia is one area of the world where soil is being depleted and degraded at an alarming rate. Through an examination of this specific resource management problem, this essay analyzes the concept of impact assessment to develop fair, efficient and effective solutions to this environmental problem.
From the Paper ?The preservation and conservation of the worlds soil is a serious resource management problem. The sustainable use of our soil will be a major challenge for the human species for many years to come. When assessing the impact of any resource management problem and developing feasible solutions to that problem certain factors must be taken into consideration. Examining the fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of a proposed solution is paramount to its potential success. A solution for soil loss that is completely unfair to farmers or ranchers will be rigorously opposed and impossible to implement.?
Abstract This essay tells of Uzbekistan's endeavor to become a developed nation. It details the many problems associated with the transformation of Uzbekistan into a developing country. Some of these problems include corruption, problems with the country's arid terrain and the challenge of switching from a policy of havoc to one of order with the necessary government agencies in place. The paper then presents the different steps that are necessary to be to taken in order to ensure a successful transformation. The author then discusses the prospects for successful development when faced with many difficult challenges.
From the Paper "In Uzbekistan state enterprises are being changed into shareholding companies, and private enterprises account for 45 percent of all registered firms. However, these businesses make decisions to set prices, output, and investment on a non-market base. Economic reform has been limited and frequently ineffective. Foreign investment has been low, and the government of Uzbekistan has been reluctant to undertake the reform measures advocated by the IMF, The World Bank, and other international economic organizations. Corruption, inefficiency, and bureaucratic resistance frequently stifle efforts to develop new business initiatives."
Abstract Background
Washington attained statehood on November 11, 1889, making it the 42nd state in the Union. The state is intersected by the Cascade Mountain range, dividing the it geographically into the semi-arid Eastern Plateau centered around Spokane, and the fertile lowlands of the Western state, centered around Puget Sound and the city of Seattle.
From the Paper "Electoral Politics in Washington State
Background
Washington attained statehood on November 11, 1889, making it the 42nd state in the Union. The state is intersected by the Cascade Mountain range, dividing the it geographically into the semi-arid Eastern Plateau centered around Spokane, and the fertile lowlands of the Western state, centered around Puget Sound and the city of Seattle. According to the 1990 census, Washington is the 18th most populous state, with just under 5 million residents (1). Current estimates put Washington's population at about 5.5 million. Washington is one of the least ethnically diverse states. 84.4% of the population is white, 5.3% Asian, 5.2% Latino, 3.3% black, and 1.8% Native American (2)."
Abstract This paper examines how California is a state rich in diversity and contrasts and how it has people of all races from all parts of the world. It looks at how its geography encompasses deserts, mountains and oceans, how small, rural towns exist within a short distance of bustling cities and how the climate could range from snow to rain to arid heat within the same day. It examines these contrasts, focusing on the natural geography, the cities and the people. By examining these features, it illustrates how these factors combine to create the lively and unique culture that characterizes the state of California.
Outline
Natural Features
Major Cities
Government
People
From the Paper "The California legislature is located in Sacramento, making the northern California city the state's seat of government. Sacramento also houses the Office of the Governor as well as the State Judiciary (Wilson and Ebert 19). Because of its sheer size, there are several cities, which serve as important urban economic centers throughout the state. Based on population, the largest city by far is Los Angeles, in Southern California. Los Angeles is home to movie and television entertainment industry, which is a significant source of the state's income. In addition to the city, the outlying suburban areas make up Los Angeles County, the largest county in the state."
Abstract This paper looks at the book "The American West as Living Space" by Wallace Stegner. It discusses certain aspects of the land and how it is perceived by men. It examines such issues as aridity and compares eastern and western America. It question why the American West has to be analyzed as a Living Space.
Abstract This paper focuses on the transition that has occurred within those living in California, where the Californian natives no longer are forced to adapt to the confines of water within the region. However, in promoting their ability to transform the arid Californian landscape, the human residents have also created conditions in which the need to import mass quantities of water has become a liability.
Abstract This paper explains that the physical environment of a nation helps facilitate human opportunities; the United States' geography has proven a source of economic and historical strength, as well as scientific curiosity. The author points out that the original colonies were mostly temperate in climate; but today, it is difficult to characterize the United States climate, as it is tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the Southwest. The paper relates that the United States is far less regionalized than it used to be because of the simultaneous mobility and immigration shifts. Currently, geographers divide America into fourteen distinct regions, called Megalopolis, the American Manufacturing Core,; the Bypassed East; Appalachia and the Ozarks; the Deep South; the Southern Coastlands; the Agricultural Core; the Great Plains and Prairies; the Empty Interior; the Southwest Border Area; California; the North Pacific Coast; the Northlands; and Hawaii.
From the Paper "The United States is not all urban, even today. It is still one of the breadbaskets of the world in the Midwest and Southern Florida's long growing season and mild winters enable it to be a leader in the production of oranges, lemons, and sugarcane. New York's proximity to harbors brought many immigrants to the land in that region as well as the ability to import new goods and export American goods to other lands. Georgia's verdant and tropical climate made it a place of vacation destinations, and earlier in the nation's history, even a place where the slave trade found a home, because of its ease of growing crops."
Abstract This paper explains that the major event marking the beginning of civilization was the development of agriculture, which was made possible by the presence of three important rivers--the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, the "Cradle of Civilization", and the great Nile River in Egypt. The author points out that, only after the development of village/farming life, the civilized societies of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Hittites and the Sumerians in Mesopotamia and the Egyptians in the Nile River valley originated or further developed concepts such as government, law, formal religions, writing, monumental architecture, measurement and calculation. The paper relates that, in the days of the Pharaohs, the land of Egypt was dotted with marshes and island ridges and what is now arid desert valley was grassy meadows well suited for grazing cattle and hunting --the fertility of Egypt was proverbial.
From the Paper "In contrast to the civilizations that arose and perished in the "Cradle of Civilization," the Nile River defined the culture that lived by virtue of its presence--ancient Egypt. Originating deep in Africa, the Nile River descends through many cataracts to sea level at the delta in Egypt, where in its annual flooding, rich soil is deposited. Hemmed in by its narrow valleys, the Nile flows through regions that may not have a single drop of rainfall in a decade. Yet crops grow luxuriantly from the fertilized silt, just as they did in ancient times. Thus, the great Nile made life possible and allowed the peoples of Egypt to build one of the greatest civilizations of all time."
Abstract This paper considers the symbolic construction of space and the way space is utilised within and around the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is a point and the physical interface where Western and indigenous cultures interact. It looks at how the Uluru provides a unique insight into differences between contemporary society and the mores of an older culture. The paper includes graphics.
Outline
People About the Rock
Arid Architecture and Design
Absence of Monuments
Fashions of Fire
Conclusion
From the Paper "The sheer size and bulk of Uluru with hundreds of nooks and crannies provides shelter, resources and inspiration to local Indigenous people for thousands of years. The numerous panels of parietal art adorning both living areas and ritual places around Uluru evidence this strong connection. The association of rock art and oral histories make Uluru 'highly identifiable' with a particular group (Burke 1999), the Anangu who are the traditional owners. Anangu creation stories and symbolic art on its surface bears testimony to the central place Uluru plays in Tjukurpa or the law of Traditional Owners."
Abstract This paper explains that Iranian population continues to increase at a rapid rate because of the establishment of public health preventive services, which have significantly reduced maternal mortality and raised life expectancy at birth. The author points out that, as the population increases wildly, Iran fails to address its environmental crises and now faces deforestation and desertification of its arid areas, over-fishing of lakes and rivers, industrial and urban waste, continued destruction of wetlands and reservoirs and pollution of the Persian and Caspian Seas by spilling chemicals and oils into them. The paper states that Iran must phase out leaded gasoline, require its people to use catalytic converters, assume a serious long-term approach in environmental protection and focus their direction on developing gas fields and reducing dependence on oil, not only to reduce pollution but also to diversify and strengthen its economy.
From the Paper "Poisonous carbon emissions in Iran have steadily increased in the last two decades by 240% since 1980 or from 33.1 million metric tons in 1980 to 80.8 million metric tons in 2000. The uncontrollable growth of the population has clearly meant an increased and constantly increasing number of cars. The volume of automobile exhaust in Iran alone constitutes 1.3% of the world's total of carbon emissions. While Iran's carbon emissions are lower compared with those in the United States and other industrialized or developed countries, its rampant use of leaded gasoline and the volume of cars without catalytic converters account for the massive levels of carbon monoxide in Iran's urban areas."
Abstract In this essay, the writer relates that there are few dams in the world that have received the amount of attention that Hoover Dam has received since its construction years ago. The writer points out that, with an annual tourist draw of more than 1 million people, Hoover Dam is counted as one of the most visited tourist attractions in America. Standing at 762 feet the dam towers above the dry arid floor around it and generates power for more than 1 million customers in Arizona, California and Nevada. This paper presents an extensive overview of Hoover Dam. The writer explores the construction, the benefits to society the dam provides and the future plans for the dam. The writer concludes that Hoover Dam continues to be respected as one of the great architectural designs in America's history.
Outline:
Introduction
Differences
History
Touring Options
The Building of the Dam
Conclusion
From the Paper "There are two dam tours available, one that lasts 30 minutes and another that lasts for an hour. The half hour tour provides information for a tour of up to 80 people and takes the participants into four different engineering areas. The second tour however, has room for 16 people because it asks them to don hard hats and go deeper into the dam to visit 10 additional sites of interest."
"The longer tour starts with an elevator ride that travels down more than 52 stories in length directly into the canyon wall. Once the elevator stops tourists walkthrough a long tunnel to the power plant where tour members are urged to put earplugs in before entering."
This paper discuses the geological history of Joshua Tree National Park, located within the Transverse Ranges Province near Riverside County, California.
Abstract This paper explains that the boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park are several mountain ranges including a quadrangle underlain by a basement terrane comprising Proterozoic metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic plutonic rocks, and Mesozoic or Cenozoic hypabyssal dikes. The author points out that, even in arid climates such as Joshua Tree National Park, water and wind are the key dynamic as far as erosion of rock is concerned; however, what is seen today in this park is a collection of relict features inherited from an earlier time of higher rainfall and lower temperatures. The paper stresses that the park, located just east of the San Andreas fault zone, is crisscrossed with hundreds of faults from ancient and recent earthquakes, which can be viewed and clearly understood by an alert visitor to the park.
From the Paper "On June 28, 1992, the largest earthquake to have hit the contiguous United States in 40 years hit the Joshua Tree National Park area - a 7.3 Richter Scale shaker. It was called the Landers Earthquake Sequence; it was the result of a "right-lateral shear on five major faults," according to an article in the journal "Science". The earthquake was generated in an 80-kilometer-wide swath of seismically active faults along the southern part of the eastern California "shear zone" - of which Joshua Tree is a part."
This paper explores the adaptive and biological alterations of the crocodile species over millions of years and analyzes its prehistoric, historic and recent distribution patterns.
Abstract This paper explains that crocodiles, which are now cold-blooded reptiles that seek water, were once, during their earliest prehistoric days, warm-blooded creatures that walked on land. The author points out that this transformation is observable in changes in the Crocodilian body over time. The paper relates that it is not known why crocodiles grew to accommodate to a water-based environment, but their adaptations helped them survive the Ice Age. The author states that, having once dominated both arid and water regions, today, crocodiles gravitate toward regions, which provide access to water; however, warming global climate conditions and human interference have reduced their numbers to dangerous levels. The paper relates that several small communities of crocodiles living on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa may be a sign of things to come.
Table of Contents:
Outline
Introduction
The Developmental History of Crocodiles
Motivators for Adaptation
Distribution Over the Ages
Conclusion
From the Paper "The reason for near-extinction of the Florida Crocodile, the Cuban Crocodile and other Crocodilian species is typically owing to environmental and climate changes (i.e. loss of ample wetlands) and loss of habitat due to human development. In Florida in particular, the building of human homes on areas which were once crocodile habitats have affected the nesting range and distribution of crocodiles. True to their modern adaptations and features, crocodiles gravitate towards the remaining wet, swampy regions. However, awareness of their vulnerability has lead to recent conservations acts that have been mostly successful."
