Earth Systems The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.

What are we studying? Environmental science studies the interactions between the physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment, including their effects on all types of organisms. Earth science (also known as geoscience), is an inclusive term for all sciences related to Earth (geology, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy, environmental science).  Environmental and earth science study the interactions of four major systems or “spheres”

Earth Systems Interactions – - Study Earth Systems Interactions – - Study.com video - Big Idea 3 – Earth’s Systems Interact

Add information to your Earth Systems foldable

Geosphere The area from the surface of the Earth down to it’s centre is called the Geosphere It is divided into three main parts The crust Mantle Core

Geosphere - The Crust The rigid outer shell of the Earth is called the Crust There are two types of crust Continental Crust Oceanic Crust

Geosphere - The Mantle The Earth’s Mantle is much different than the crust because of its composition and behaviour Temperature ranges from 100 degrees celcius to 4000 degrees celcius

Geosphere - The Core Earth’s core is the centre of the Earth We will explore more of the Crust, Mantle and Core later in the semester

Atmosphere The atmosphere has an important job, which is to; Provide oxygen to all living things Protects Earth’s habitants (animals, plants, etc) from harmful radiation from the sun And it helps keep the temperature on Earth suitable for life

The Atmosphere There is a blanket of gas that surrounds our planet, it is called the Atmosphere It has 78% nitrogen 21% oxygen 1% remaining includes water vapor, argon, carbon dioxide, and other traces of gas. Question: What type of graph is found on the right?

Hydrosphere All of the water on Earth, including the water in the atmosphere, makes up the Hydrosphere About 97% of Earth’s water is salt water 3% is freshwater

Hydrosphere Earth’s salt water can be found in the oceans and seas The fresh water is found in glaciers, lakes and rivers There is also water beneath Earth’s surface as groundwater.

Biosphere The biosphere includes all the organisms on Earth and the environments that they live in. There are many biospheres that exist deep beneath the ocean’s surface, and others live high atop Earth’s mountains

Biosphere

Dear Future Generations: Sorry by Prince Ea – 6 min. Before watching this video, hypothesize about human impact on each of Earth’s systems. How do we impact the Earth’s systems? What natural disaster may affect all of the Earth’s Systems?

The Four Spheres – Add this information to your “4 Spheres Foldable” The geosphere consists of the core, mantle and crust of the Earth. The atmosphere contains all of the Earth’s air and is divided into troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere. The hydrosphere contains all of the solid, liquid and gaseous water on Earth, extending from the depths of the sea to the upper reaches of the troposphere where water is found.  Ninety-seven percent of the hydrosphere is found in salty oceans, and the remainder is found as vapor or droplets in the atmosphere and as liquid in ground water, lakes, rivers, glaciers and snowfields.  The biosphere is the collection of all Earth’s life forms, distributed in major life zones known as biomes:  tundra, boreal forest, temperate deciduous forest, temperate grassland, desert, savannah, tropical rainforest, chaparral, freshwater, and marine.

Interactions of the Four Spheres Although the four systems have their unique identities, there is substantial interaction between them.  Environmental scientists study the effects of events in one sphere on the other spheres. For example, a volcanic eruption in the geosphere may cause profound direct and indirect effects on the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere

Mt. St. Helens – 1980 Explosion

Interconnectedness Example 1 (Volcano)  On May 18, 1980, Mount Saint Helens, in the state of Washington, erupted.  This event altered the surrounding environment, and provided scientists with an opportunity to study the effects of volcanic eruptions on the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.  The following are but a few of the myriad of interactions resulting from a volcanic eruption.

How Does a Volcano Affect All of Earth’s Four Sphere Volcano >> geosphere >> atmosphere >> hydrosphere >> biosphere Volcanoes (an event in the geosphere) release a large amount of particulate matter into the atmosphere.  These particles serve as nuclei for the formation of water droplets (hydrosphere).  Rainfall (hydrosphere) often increases following an eruption, stimulating plant growth (biosphere). Particulate matter in the air (atmosphere) falls out, initially smothering plants (biosphere), but ultimately enriching the soil (geosphere) and thereby stimulating plant growth (biosphere).

Volcano >> geosphere >> hydrosphere >> biosphere Volcanoes (events in the geosphere) may release a substantial amount of hot lava (geosphere), which causes mountain glaciers (hydrosphere) to melt.  Mudflows (geosphere) and flooding may occur downstream from volcanoes and may inundate streamside communities (biosphere). Volcanoes (geosphere) can cause lots of debris to enter lakes, rivers, etc… effecting the quality of the water. Volcanoes (geosphere) causes different shape to the mountain.

Volcano >> geosphere >> atmosphere >> biosphere >> geosphere Volcanoes (events of the geosphere) release a large amount of carbon dioxide (atmosphere), the raw material for sugar production in plants (biosphere). This may increase photosynthetic production and eventually increase the amount of biomass, which, after a very long time, forms coal and oil deposits (geosphere).

Volcano >> complex interactions Volcanoes (geosphere) may emit large quantities of sulfur dioxide (atmosphere).  When atmospheric sulfur dioxide combines with water (hydrosphere), sulfuric and sulfurous acid form.  Rain (hydrosphere) may bring these acids to the Earth, acidifying soils (geosphere), lakes and rivers (hydrosphere).  Acidic water leaches nutrients from the soil (geosphere) into the water table (hydrosphere), making the soil less fertile for plants (biosphere), and the subterranean water supply (hydrosphere) less drinkable for humans (biosphere).  Acid rain falling on lakes and streams reduces the pH of the water (hydrosphere), which may result in a decrease in phytoplankton and zooplankton growth (biosphere).  If photosynthesis is reduced, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide can build up and stimulate global warming (atmosphere) which may contribute to increased melting of glaciers (hydrosphere).