1. Canadian Geography

3. Unit One: Natural and Human Systems
We live in a world that is interconnected.
All things interact with each other.
Unit One: Natural and Human Systems

4. Curriculum Outcome 1.0
– Students are expected to explain how natural systems and human systems interact.
identify and describe natural systems
identify and describe human systems
explain how systems thinking may be used to understand interactions between natural systems and human systems

5. The World of Systems Natural Systems:
These are systems that occur in nature, and together they form the ecosystems that make up our natural environment.
- Circulation of Water in our ocean
- Weather and Climate Systems
- Energy Cycles
- Food Chain

6. Food Chain

7. Earth’s Natural Systems Hydrosphere Biosphere Lake, Ocean, Pond, River
Bear
Fish Tree Spider
Earth’s
Natural
Systems
MountainLava
Rock
Soil
Clouds
Smog
Aurora borealis
Lithosphere
Atmosphere

8. Don’t forget the sidebar notes!
Synergy: the whole system is greater than the sum of its part
Check out figure 2.3 , 2.4 and 2.5 on pages 50 and 51 of your book.
Create a four column chart.
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Read through pages in your book. Record notes in each column as you read through.
Don’t forget the sidebar notes!

9. Create a web diagram that illustrates the connection between elements within a natural system.
You are the center of this system . Add three relevant elements for each category that impact your everyday life. Be prepared to explain your choices.
Air
You
Soil
Sun
Water

10. Earth’s Giant Systems
Atmosphere: A thin layer of gases that surround the earth. It consists mainly of Nitrogen & Oxygen but also includes small amounts of other gases such as water vapour, carbon dioxide & ozone. The atmosphere protects us from the sun’s intense energy and distributes heat around the planet. Without the Atmosphere we would not survive the extreme temperatures on earth.

11. Lithosphere
Lithosphere: The earths crust & uppermost part of the underlying mantle and consists of rocks, minerals & soil. It varies in thickness from 2 km thick to more than 250 km thick in the thickest part of the continents.

12. Hydrosphere: is all the water on the earths crust; salty, fresh, and frozen. It includes oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, swamps, and water vapour. It also, includes the water stored in the organs of all plants & animals. Figure 2.7, pg 52 Text.

13. Biosphere: is the layer of Earth in which life evolved
Biosphere: is the layer of Earth in which life evolved. It supports all living things on Earth; plants and animals.

15. Cause and Effect Nature’s systems support life on Earth.
Natural Systems work in Cycles – they do not have a beginning or end but keep moving around and around.
The water cycle, for example, involves the circulation of water to support life on Earth. It is continuously flowing and changing from one state to another (gas or water vapour, liquid and solid or ice)
The Earth contains a finite supply of water which means that it never loses or gains any. The water you drank this morning has existed for hundreds of millions of years. Your great-great-great grandmother may have used the same water to make soup for her family’s supper.

16. Canada contains an estimated 9% of the Earth’s fresh water.
SMHEO
Much of this water is located in uninhabited areas or is stored underground in rocks and aquifers – layers of porous rock that can contain large quantities of water.
Almost 25% of Canadians have to dig or drill wells to find groundwater for household, farming or industrial use.
Canadian’s use more water per person than every other country except the U.S.!

17. WATER CYCLE

18. The Decay Cycle There is no waste in natural systems.
Creatures such as fungi, insects and bacteria act as decomposers to eat and recycle nature’s waste materials.

19. The World of Systems Human Systems:
These are systems that are created by people. This includes: human settlements, transportation systems, communication systems. More on this later.

20. Human System: a system created by people (continually changing)
Ecosystem: a community of plants and animals that interact with one another and with their physical environment.
Human System: a system created by people
Both are Dynamic:
(continually
changing)
Natural System: a system found in nature
Atmosphere: a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
Biosphere: the layer of the Earth in which plant and animal life evolve
Hydrosphere: all the water and moisture on the Earth in all its forms
Lithosphere: the Earth’s crust and the uppermost part of the underlying mantle consisting of rocks, minerals and soil

21. Working as a group at your table:
go to the ACTIVATE YOUR LEARNING section at the bottom of page 57.
Discuss questions 1, 2 and 3.
Consider how a change in one natural system influences both that system and another natural system. Prepare an example to share with the class.
In the ACTIVATE YOUR LEARNING section at the bottom of page 53,
answer questions 1, 2, 4 and 5.