Interaction of Earth’s Systems Systems and Spheres

Earth’s Systems Receive inputs and produce outputs Example: Gulf of Mexico Receives input of freshwater, sediments, nutrients Gulf outputs a harvest of shrimp and fish The system output becomes input to the global economic system and digestive system of people consuming the fish

Feedback loops A feedback loop occurs when an event is both an input and output in the same system Can either be negative or positive Negative: Stabilizes the system If the wolf population (predator) decreases, the moose population (prey) will increase Positive: Destabilizes the system Clearing of plants will erode a stream bed which will increase water flow and further increase the stream bed

All Systems Interact!! Example #1: Albedo Effect and Climate Change More Greenhouse gas (Atmosphere change) = Warmer Temperature Polar ice caps melt (Hydrosphere change) Darker color of ocean replaces white color of ice Less radiation is reflected from Earth’s Surface Positive Feedback Loop!!!

All Systems Interact!!! Example #2: Wolves change Rivers Describe at least 3 interactions in the video. Draw a picture of a feedback loop in the video

Write a one sentence analysis of the graph depicted below Write a one sentence analysis of the graph depicted below. List one feedback loop created by the trend observed in the graph.

Layers of Atmosphere Troposphere: 0–11 km; movement of air, weather Did You Know? The stratosphere and mesosphere are cold, but the upper thermosphere can be hotter than 1500°C. Layers of Atmosphere Troposphere: 0–11 km; movement of air, weather Stratosphere: 11–50 km; ozone layer, absorbs and scatters UV rays Mesosphere: 50–80 km; meteoroids burn up Thermosphere: 80+ km; disturbances produce aurora borealis

Atmosphere Contains the gases that organisms need Oxygen: needed for respiration Ozone: needed to filter UV radiation Greenhouse gases (CO2 and Methane): needed to keep Earth’s temperature warm enough to support life

Properties of the Atmosphere Composition: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases (greenhouse gases) Temperature: Varies with location (due to angle of sun and altitude) Pressure: In general, air pressure decreases with altitude; can be measured using a barometer.

Hydrosphere Consists of Earth’s water Most of Earth’s water (97.5%) is salt water. Only 0.5% of Earth’s water is unfrozen fresh water usable for drinking or irrigation. Frozen water is called the cryosphere Earth’s available fresh water includes surface water and ground water. (Most is groundwater!)

Water Cycle

Relative Humidity The ratio of water vapor in air to the maximum amount the same air could contain at the same temperature Is affected by temperature and location; in general, warm air holds more water. When air cools, water vapor may condense to liquid or to ice. Water vapor can only condense on surfaces, such as a petal or a dust particle.

Rocks Naturally occurring solids made up of minerals and mineral-like materials Three types: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic The rock cycle slowly changes rocks from one type to another through heating, melting, cooling, weathering, and erosion.

Types of Rocks Igneous: Form when magma or lava cools and solidifies; can be intrusive or extrusive Did You Know? In general, the more slowly igneous rock cools, the larger its crystals.

Types of Rocks Continued…. Sedimentary: Form when sediments cement together or when water evaporates and leaves behind minerals; can be clastic, chemical, or biochemical

Types of Rocks continued (again)…. Metamorphic: Form when heat or pressure changes the crystalline structure of existing rock

Video

Rocks make Soil!! Soil is made up of minerals (from rock), organic matter (from decay), air, and water.

Soil Formation Weathering: Physical and chemical breaking of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces Erosion and deposition: Pick-up, transport, and drop-off of material from one place to another Decomposition: Breakdown of waste, organisms, and organic material into simple molecules

Soil Horizons Soil horizons are distinct layers of soil. A cross-section of soil horizons is a soil profile.

Biome Distribution

Biosphere The part of Earth in which living and nonliving things interact Biotic: Living Abiotic: Non-living

Interactions of Geosphere/Lithosphere Affected by each sphere… Effects each sphere by… Atmosphere: higher greenhouse gas composition will warm soils and increase decomposition rate Hydrosphere: frost wedging weathers rock and helps to form soil Biosphere: vegetation helps to decrease soil erosion and improve soil fertility Atmosphere: Microbes in soil transform atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates; decomposition of organic materials in soil produces carbon dioxide and methane Hydrosphere: runoff of sediment effects turbidity of streams and increases nutrient load Biosphere: Increased rate of soil formation/fertility will increase the amount of plants which in turn will increase biodiversity