Big Idea 3: Earth is a Complex System of Interacting Rock, Water, Air, and Life

Geosphere

The solid and molten rock, metallic core, soil, and sediments of Earth.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding Earth.

Hydrosphere

All forms of water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, groundwater, and vapor.

Biosphere

All living things on Earth, including humans.

Carbon cycle

A process that connects rocks, water, air, life, and fossil fuels.

Energy & Matter Flow

Driven by solar energy and Earth's interior heat, producing chemical, physical, and biological changes.

Positive feedback

A process that amplifies changes in a system.

Negative feedback

A process that reduces changes in a system.

Ecosystems

Regions where organisms interact with one another and their environment.

Dynamic Earth

Earth's constant changes, both slow and rapid, which impact climate and weather patterns.

System Interactions

Processes that occur across different scales and affect multiple systems in complex ways.

Exchange with Space

Earth gains and loses energy and mass through interactions with outer space.

Climate

An example of complex system interactions affecting Earth's environment.

Feedbacks

Interactions within a system that can alter the impact of changes, either enhancing or decreasing them.

Energy Sources

Sunlight and Earth's interior heat are the primary sources driving energy flow.

Nutrients

Essential substances provided by ecosystems that support life.