Earths spheres

Biosphere

all LIVING things

Hydrosphere

WATER in all its forms

Lithosphere

rocks, soils and crust on the earths surface

Atmosphere

gaseous layers surrounding the earth

Geographical processes

natural and human driven forces that continuously shape, transform and alter the earths surface and environments

Geomorphic processes

natural forces

Human processes

driven by humans

Carbon cycle

process where carbon is transferred through the environment

Oxygen cycle

animals consume oxygen by breathing and plants produce oxygen and release it

Food chains

series of organisms each eating or decomposing the ones before them

Food web

more complicated branching diagram that shows the feeding relationships of all living things in an ecosystem or particular area

Evolution

long term process where species have changed and developed from earlier forms of species to become more suited to particular environments

Migration

Changes the size and distribution of pamt and animal species in one place, going to a different environment

Weathering

breaking down of rock through wind, water and effects of climate

Erosion

Movement of broken down (weathered) rocks and soils on the earths surface by things like wind, water, ice, waves, glaciers and many other processes

Tectonic plates

Cause volcanoes, earthquakes, fold mountains, fault mountains

Nitrogen and Phosphorus cycle

green plants take in chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil. Plants use these chemicals to build proteins for growth. When plants die, decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down the proteins into ammonium compounds

Carbon cycle

how carbon is transferred through the environment

Precipitation

Any form of water that falls from the sky because its too heavy to be suspended in the air

Infiltration

water that reaches the earths surface and is able to be absorbed into the ground, flows downward, collecting the above impermeable layer or rock

Runoff

Water that reaches earth’s surface and is unable tobe absorbed into the ground, flows over the surface and collects in nearby waterways or reaches stormwater drains

Evaporation

water contained in water bodies heated by the sun anf the liquid is turned into a gaseous state, rising to the atmosphere

Transpiration

water contained in plants is heated and changed from liquid to gaseous, rising into the atmosphere

Condensation

water in the atmosphre cooling and changing from gaseous to liquid

Solar radiation

heat that is received from the sun’s rays. Atmosphere playingan important role in distributing thisheat around the planet