EARTH SCIENCE 1

THE EARTH AS A UNIQUE PLANET

Objectives:
 Name the unique properties of the Earth that enables it to support life;
 Compare Earth to the other planets in the Solar System; and
 Recognize the impact of human activities on our planet

Word Bank:
 Unique – being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.
 Earth – is the third planet from the sun and the only astronomical object known to harbour life.
 Planet – is a large celestial body that orbits a star and does not shine on its own.
 Solar system – is a group, of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets that orbit around the sun.
 Life – is define as the state characterized by the ability to get and use energy, reproduce, grow, and
respond to change.
 Goldilocks zone – also known as habitable zone, is the range of distance with the right temperatures
for water to remain liquid.
 Ozone layer – is a region of the stratosphere, about 10-25 miles (15-40 km) above the earth’s
surface, which contains about 90% of the earth’s atmospheric zone.
 Core – is the innermost layer of the earth.

Six Things That Make Life On Earth Possible

1. Our location is far from many hazards.

 The solar system sits far from the galactic core (almost 30,000 light-years), between two major spiral
arms. More so, the solar system’s circular orbit helps it avoid that dangerous part of the galaxy. The
galactic core likely contains a massive black hole and releases consistent bursts of radiation. Also,
there are relatively few stars on near the sun, reducing risks to Earth from gravitational tugs, gamma-
ray bursts, or collapsing stars called supernovae.

 The presence of our big brother planet, Jupiter, farther out in the solar system blocking Earth from
much of the incoming debris, has also helped Earth become a safe have for life. Jupiter acts like a
giant broom, sweeping the solar system of debris rocks as small as cars and as huge as moons that
could snuff out life in one fatal blow.

2. Our sun is a stable long-lasting star.

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 Our sun is a yellow dwarf, a relatively rare type of star that is both small and stable, it also has a long
life and probably would not start to fizzle out for another five billion years or so. Stars more massive
than the sun burn hotter and usually do not live long enough for planets to develop life. Less
massive, younger stars are often unstable and are prone to blasting their planets with bursts of
radiation.

 The sun radiates light and heat, or solar energy, which makes it possible for life to exist on Earth.
The sun provides the earth with energy estimated at over 239 trillion horsepower, about 35,000
horsepower for each current resident. Plants need sunlight to grow. Animals, including humans, need
plants for food and the oxygen they produce. Without heat from the sun, Earth would freeze. There
would be no winds, ocean currents, or clouds to transport water.

3. We are just the right distance from the sun.

 Earth is at an average distance of 93 million miles or 150 million kilometres away from the sun. It
orbits in the so-called Goldilocks zone, where the planet receives enough energy to allow water to
exist as a liquid on its surface. Too far, and the vital compounds stay locked up as ice. Too close,
and the water would rapidly evaporate into the atmosphere.

 The Earth is the only planet with huge bodies of water — 70% of its surface area consists of
oceans, lakes, and seas surrounding huge bodies of land.

 Water is unique because it absorbs large amount of heat without much alternation in its
temperature. Its absorption speed is extremely rapid — about ten times as fast as steel. During the
day, the seas rapidly soak up a great deal of heat, thus the Earth stays fairly cool. At night, the
oceans release the vast amounts of heat that they soaked up during the day, which combined with
atmospheric effects, keeps the surface from getting too cold at night. If it were not for the
tremendous amount of water on Earth, there would be far greater day and night temperature
variations. Many parts of the surface would be hot enough to boil water in the day and the same
part would be cold enough to freeze water at night. Water is an excellent temperature stabilizer.
The large oceans on Earth are a vital part of our survival!

4. We have the right stuff to host a dynamic core.

 The interstellar cloud of gas and dust that gave rise to Earth contained enough radioactive elements
(potassium, uranium, and thorium) to power a churning core for billions of years. This creates a
magnetic field which is crucial to life on our planet because it protects the planet from dangers like
solar flares and solar wind
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 The Earth’s magnetic field serves to deflect most of the solar wind, whose charged particles would
otherwise strip away the ozone layer that protects the Earth and the life on it from harmful ultraviolet
radiation.
 Other than this, it also keeps the planets atmosphere in place and helps human and animals to find
their way around.

5. We have big moon to stabilize our axial wobble.

 The Earth has a slight tilt and teeters like a top as it spins, which can cause drastic shifts in climate
over the course of thousand years. But because of the moon’s stabilizing effect on our orbit, our
climate is a lot steadier.

 Plus, the moon causes the tides, so if the Moon were much nearer to the Earth, say 20 times closer,
it would exert a gravitational force 400 times greater than what we are use to. It would result to
huge tides which would overflow onto the lowlands, causing great flooding.

6. We have ozone layer to bock harmful ray.

 Ancient plant-like organisms in the oceans added oxygen to the atmosphere and created a high-
altitude of ozone that shielded early land species from lethal radiation.
 Ozone (03) is a gas in the atmosphere that protects everything living on the Earth from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, it would be very
difficult for anything to survive on the surface. Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet
radiation, nor can the plankton that serve as food for most of the ocean life. The ozone layer acts
as a shield to absorb the UV rays, and keeps them from doing damage at the Earth’s surface.

Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is capable of harbouring life. The reasons for this are the ff:

 The solar system is found away from the galactic core which likely contains a massive black hole
and releases consistent bursts of radiation.

 The sun is capable of providing energy to living organisms for another five billion years or so.

 Earth is located in the Goldilocks zone or habitable zone which means the Earth’s temperature is
neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface.
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 The core in the interior of the planet produces a strong and stable magnetic field which protects
organisms from harmful cosmic rays and solar flares.

 The Earth’s moon helps to stabilize the planet’s rotation, therefore, preventing movements that
could cause severe climatic changes.

 The ozone layer is very important in protecting our planet from the harmful ultraviolet radiation
from the sun.

 The right amount of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gasses present in the atmosphere
are also vital in supporting lives on the planet.