ELS_3.1-3.3 Earth System

What is Earth System Science?

- It is the study of Earth as an integrated system. It seeks to understand the past, current, and future state of our planet.

Vladimir Vernadsky - the noosphere

Alexander von Humbol - Organism dispersal and distribution

James Hutton - Father of modern geology

James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis proposed the Gaia Hypothesis

The Gaia Hypothesis states that the earth self- regulating system

NASA Earth System Science Committee or the NASA ESS A key organization involved in promoting and conducting Earth System Science research, often through satellite data collection and analysis.

Satellite Imagery

Satellites can take photos of the Earth from space for various purposes.

key points

  • An Earth System Science Committee was formed

by NASA in 1983.

  • Knowledge on Earth System Science is essential to

understand Earth’s components that are essential in

our daily lives and useful in drafting policies for

conservation of our planet.

  • Several scientists have contributed to the study of ESS.

Four Subsystems of Earth

The Earth has 4 major subsystems, namely:

  • The atmosphere,

  • The geosphere,

  • The hydrosphere, and

  • The biosphere.

    The Atmosphere

  • The atmosphere has different layers: troposphere, stratosphere mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

    The Five Layer:

  • Troposphere:
    - The lowest layer (0-15 km), where all weather occurs. Temperature decreases with altitude.

  • Stratosphere:

    - This layer contain the ozone layer absorbs UV radiation from the sun.

  • Mesosphere:

    - This coldest layer where most meteors burn up.

  • Thermosphere:

    - Temperatures rise significantly with altitude, and aurorae occur here.

The Geosphere which means the study of land

layer of the Geosphere

  • Crust - this layer is the outermost layer of the earth

  • Mantle - this is the middle layer and is liquid

  • Core - the innermost layer and is the solid.

The Hydrosphere

  • It is composed of all water on Earth in any form: water vapor, liquid water, and ice.

  • It is comprised of 97.5% saltwater and 2.5% freshwater

The Biosphere it includes all the organisms on earth from the most simple to the most complex.

atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and biosphere.

key points

  1. The Atmosphere

includes the gases, and has 5 distinct layers.

  1. The Geosphere

includes the ground, and has 3 distinct layers.

  1. The Hydrosphere

includes all of the watery environments on the planet.

  1. The Biosphere

includes all the planet’s organisms.

Earth climate system

DIFFERENTIATE WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Weather - short-term changes

Climate - long term pattern

There are several factors that affect the climate, thus leading to its constantly-changing conditions. Some of these include:

  • Greenhouse Gases - these are gases that trap heat.

  • The Hydrosphere - The oceans act as climate regulator because they strongly influence the temperature changes.

  • Soil and Vegetation - Soil moisture greatly affects surface temperature because the evaporation of water from the soil requires energy.

  • Topography - the description of the surface feature of the land affects the wind that blows on the land surface.

  • Biosphere - affects climate through photosynthesis and respiration.

key points

  1. Atmospheric condition is affected by the greenhouse

gases present, especially water vapor.

  1. The hydrosphere influences climate by storing and

releasing huge amounts of energy in the oceans.

  1. Topography affects the climate by acting as physical

barriers for clouds and storms.

  1. Photosynthesis can affect the climate system by

absorbing carbon dioxide and providing oxygen