Introduction to Earth Science THE SCOPE OF EARTH SCIENCE

Earth System Basics  Earth science – the investigation of interactions among the four parts of the earth system: the atmosphere (air, weather), hydrosphere (water, ice), biosphere (living things), and the geosphere (land, rocks)  Influenced by the exosphere (the sun and other features from space)  The 2011 tsunami that struck Japan involved three of these components: hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere

Earth System Basics  Nine big ideas about the Earth system  Earth is a complex system of interacting rock, water, air, and life  Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet  Earth is 4.6 billion years old  Earth is continuously changing  Earth is the water planet  Life evolves on a dynamic Earth and continuously modifies Earth  Humans depend on Earth for resources  Natural hazards pose risks to humans  Humans significantly alter Earth

Science and Discovery  Science is a process of discovery that increases our body of knowledge  The only way to understand how to think like a scientist is to learn to use the skills of scientific reasoning

Tools used by Earth Scientists  Direct measurements – collected at field locations  Type of rocks present to create a geologic map  Collect water samples from drinking water wells  Gather samples of volcanic gases  Indirect measurements – interpret direct measurements to get a value for something else  Using measurements of the magnetic patterns of the ocean floor to determine that the age of the ocean floor varies from place to place  Variations in the height of the ocean surface are related to the distribution of ridges and trenches in the ocean floor  Models – tools used to study phenomena too complex or otherwise too difficult to study directly  Using weather models to make predictions about future events