Introduction to Earth Science Mr. Kennel

4 Areas of Specialization 1. Astronomy: the study of object’s beyond Earth’s atmosphere (space) 2. Meteorology: the study of the air that surrounds our planet 3. Geology: the study of the materials that make up Earth and the processes that form and change these materials 4. Oceanography: the study of Earth’s oceans

4 Earth Spheres 1. Hydrosphere: includes all of the water on earth (fresh and salt). Approximately 70% of the Earths surface Salt Water is mostly found in the oceans, which makes up the majority of the hydrosphere containing about 97% of all the water found on earth. Fresh water includes, rivers, lakes, glaciers, water vapor and ground water which makes up the remaining 3% of all water found on earth. 2. Atmosphere: is a thin blanket of gases that surrounds the Earth’s surface, and about 50% of the Earth’s atmosphere is located or lies below the first 3.5 miles above Earth’s surface (5.6 km). Weather occurs here. 3. (Geosphere): is the physical Earth itself which is divided into 3 main parts based on the different composition of the physical matter. Crust= the thin, rocky outer layer of the Earth. Mantle= located just below the crust (about 3000 km thick) Core= the innermost layer of the Earth. 4. Biosphere: includes all organisms on Earth as well as the environments in which they live

Measurement Length: measure of distance from one location to another Mass: measure of the amount of material that makes up an object (NOT WEIGHT) Volume: measure of how much space an object takes up Density: the measure of how tightly packed mass is within a certain volume (d = m/v) Temperature: measure of the amount of heat an object holds

Units Length – meter (km, m, cm) Mass – gram (kg, g) Volume Liquid: liters (L, mL) Solid: centimeters cubed (cm3) Density – g/cm3 Temperature – ˚C (Celsius), ˚F (Fahrenheit), K (Kelvin)