Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Chapter 1 Earth Systems

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. After completing this chapter, you will understand: The principles that define how systems work What Earth systems are The carbon and water cycles Why Earth systems and their interactions are important to people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. How Science Studies Earth Systems: Scientific Process Questioning and defining problems Developing hypotheses – answering the questions Making predictions Acquiring and using new data and information Evaluating results

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Goldilocks Zone

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Scientific inquiry  Science assumes the natural world is  Consistent  Predictable  Goal of science  To discover patterns in nature  To use the knowledge to predict

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Scientific inquiry  An idea can become a  Hypothesis (tentative or untested explanation)  Theory (tested and confirmed hypothesis)  Paradigm (a theory that explains a large number of interrelated aspects of the natural world)  Scientific method  Gather facts through observation  Formulate hypotheses and theories

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Scientific inquiry  Scientific knowledge is gained through  Following systematic steps  Collecting facts  Developing a hypothesis  Conduct experiments  Reexamine the hypothesis and accept, modify, or reject  Theories that withstand examination  Totally unexpected occurrences

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Hurricane Katrina Hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005 Winds: –140 mph S.E. Louisiana –100 mph New Orleans Rain 1 inch/hour Levees broke, flooding 80% of New Orleans

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Hurricane Katrina

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Kartrina Flooding

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. New Orleans before and after Katrina

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth Diverse, constantly changing system –Geosphere –Hydrosphere –Atmosphere –Biosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth’s “Spheres”  Geosphere  Based on compositional differences, it consists of the crust, mantle, and core  Divisions of the outer portion are based on how materials behave  Lithosphere - rigid outer layer  Divisions of Earth’s surface – continents and ocean basins

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth’s “Spheres”  Hydrosphere  Ocean – the most prominent feature of the hydrosphere  Nearly 71% of Earth’s surface  About 97% of Earth’s water  Also includes fresh water found in streams, lakes, and glaciers, as well as that found underground

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth’s “Spheres”  Atmosphere  Thin, tenuous blanket of air  One-half lies below 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles)  Biosphere  Includes all life  Concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into the atmosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth System Science  Earth is a dynamic body with many separate but highly interacting parts or spheres  Earth system science studies Earth as a system composed of numerous parts, or subsystems  System – any size group of interacting parts that form a complex whole

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth System Science  System  Closed systems are self-contained (e.g., an automobile cooling system)  Open systems – both energy and matter flow into and out of the system (e.g., a river system)

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Types of Systems Open Closed Dynamic

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Energy, Matter, and Systems Types of systems –Open systems Allow energy and matter to transfer in and out –Closed systems Allow only energy to transfer –All natural systems are open Called dynamic systems, meaning constantly changing.

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth System Science  Feedback mechanisms  Negative-feedback mechanisms resist change and stabilize the system  Positive-feedback mechanisms enhance the system  Earth as a system  Consists of a nearly endless array of subsystems (e.g., hydrologic cycle, rock cycle)

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth System Cycles

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth System Earth as a system Sources of energy Sun – drives external processes such as weather, ocean circulation, and erosional processes Earth’s interior – drives internal processes including volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building Humans are part of the Earth system

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Energy, Matter, and Systems Energy and systems Matter and systems Reservoirs, flux, and residence time Types of systems

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Energy in Systems Drives changes Drives movement of matter Can be transferred between systems

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Matter in Systems Stored in systems Moves around systems Transferred among systems

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Carbon in Systems Found in your body as proteins (biosphere) Stored in rocks (geosphere) Found in gases (atmosphere) Found in water (hydrosphere)

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Carbon Moves in Systems Carbon, as food, moves in your body to form new tissue Carbon moves in the air by wind Carbon moves in water by currents Carbon, in rocks, is uplifted and exposed on the Earth’s surface

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Carbon Is Transferred Plants absorb carbon dioxide Volcanoes release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere Organisms in biosphere use carbon in body structures Accumulation of carbon-bearing materials becomes rocks

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Carbon Cycle

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Human and Natural Systems

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Energy, Matter, and Systems Reservoirs –Places where energy or matter is stored in a system Flux –Rate at which energy or matter is transferred from one reservoir to another Residence time –Average amount of time energy or matter is contained in the reservoir. –Sinks Large resevoirs with long residence times.

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reservoirs Rocks are reservoirs for carbon Oceans are water reservoirs Earth’s atmosphere is an oxygen reservoir Earth’s interior is a heat reservoir

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Flux Carbon flux from the atmosphere to plants – 120 billion tonnes per year Plant reservoir contains 560 billion tonnes of carbon Plants release carbon back to the atmosphere – 60 billion tonnes per year

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Residence Time Residence Time = Reservoir Size = Reservoir Size Flux In Flux Out

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth Systems Geosphere Hydrosphere Atmosphere Biosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth Systems (cont.) Geosphere –Layers of the Earth –The rock cycle –The geosphere and people Hydrosphere –The water cycle –The hydrosphere and people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth Systems (cont.) Atmosphere –Structure of the atmosphere –The atmosphere and people Biosphere –Life’s organization –The biosphere and people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Geosphere Core Mantle Crust Lithosphere The rock cycle The geosphere and people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Inner Earth

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Earth’s Crust

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Rock Cycle Igneous rock Sedimentary rock Metamorphic rock Weathering Erosion

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Rock Cycle

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Rock Types Igneous – Granite Sedimentary – Sandstone Metamorphic - Gneiss

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Hydrosphere The water cycle The hydrosphere and people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth’s Water

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth's Water and the Hydrologic Cycle

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Water Cycle Oceans Atmosphere Surface water Ground water Evaporation Transpiration

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Water Cycle

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Atmosphere Structure of the atmosphere The atmosphere and people

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Earth’s Atmosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Structure of the Atmosphere Air Troposphere Stratosphere Ozonosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Biosphere Life’s organization The biosphere and people

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Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Life’s Organization Archaebacteria Eubacteria Protista Fungi Plantae Animalia

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Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. People and the environment  Environment  Surrounds and influences organisms  Physical environment encompasses water, air, soil, and rock  Term “environmental” is usually reserved for those aspects that focus on the relationships between people and the natural environment

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. People and the environment  Resources  An important focus of the Earth sciences  Includes water, soil, minerals, and energy  Two broad categories  Renewable – can be replenished (examples include plants and energy from water and wind)  Nonrenewable – metals (examples include metals and fuels)

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. People and the environment  Population  Population of the planet is growing rapidly  Rate of mineral and energy usage has climbed more rapidly than the overall growth of population  Environmental problems  Local, regional, and global

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. People and the environment  Environmental problems  Human-induced and accentuated  Urban air pollution  Acid rain  Ozone depletion  Global warming  Natural hazards  Earthquakes  Landslides

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. People and the environment  Environmental problems  Natural hazards continued  Floods  Hurricanes  World population pressures

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conclusion How systems work Both energy and matter are transferred in and out of open systems How matter is stored in Earth systems Earth’s major systems are the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conclusion (cont.) The geosphere is the solid Earth and all its related parts The hydrosphere is all the water on and near Earth’s surface Earth’s water is in motion from the oceans to land and back again in the water cycle

Copyright © 2011 American Geological Institute. Published by Cengage Learning under exclusive license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conclusion (cont.) The atmosphere is the envelope of gases (mostly nitrogen and oxygen) surrounding Earth The biosphere is all life on Earth People affect Earth systems and Earth systems affect people