Earth as a System

The Water Cycle

Advances in technology have allowed
scientists to study the Earth in a
variety of different ways.

Submersible Satellite
Seismometer
Satellites and space craft allow
us to view, photograph and
map Earth from Space.
Submersibles and ships allow us
to view, photograph and map
the ocean floor.
Buoys and other monitoring devices
provide us with data related to
events such as tsunamis and
earthquakes.
 Powerful computer programs called GIS
(Geographic Information Systems) help
scientists organize, layer and interpret huge
amounts of data in order to study how the
Earth changes over time.
 Using data from modern technology,
scientists can create complex
representations of how the Earth
“works”. These representations of Earth
processes are called models.

Tsunami Modeling Program

Tsunami Model
 What is a System?
System: A part of the Universe that can be
studied separately.

The
Solar System
Example: Respiratory System
 Two Types of Systems

1. Closed System: Energy may enter and leave,

but matter does not. (examples?)

2. Open System: System and its surroundings

freely exchange both matter and energy.
(examples?)

What is the Earth?

The Earth’s Four Spheres

(Geosphere)
Earth Systems Science studies the flow of
matter and energy in and out of the
Earth’s open systems, or Spheres.
 Matter and energy move back
and forth between the different
Earth spheres, and the different
spheres interact every day, all
around you.
What spheres are interacting
here?
Earthquakes
 Tornadoes

Tornado path
Mining Minerals
Oil Exploration
Interactions among the Earth’s
spheres change the spheres to
differing degrees.
These impacts can be single events,
temporary changes, or ongoing change.
Single event example: meteorite impact that
causes massive global extinction
Ongoing, steady process (example: Erosion)
 Cycles and the Earth
A Cycle is a series of steps that repeats.
Some cycles (water cycle) repeat over
relatively short periods of time, while others
repeat over millions of years (tectonic cycle).

On Earth, the water cycle, energy cycle, carbon

cycle, tectonic cycle and rock cycle “work”
together to maintain a dynamic planet.
 The Carbon Cycle
• Biogeochemical cycle- compound is
changed and moved throughout the
Earth’s spheres

• Carbon is commonly called the

“building block of life”

• Carbon is not just a solid- it forms

gases such as CO2 and Methane
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon Into the Atmosphere
• Living things breathe it out

• Carbon based things (i.e. trees) burn

• Diffuses out of oceans

• Volcanoes erupt– Number 1 source of

CO2 into the atmosphere
 Carbon From the Atmosphere
• Oceans dissolve 40% of CO2 in the
atmosphere from fossil fuels

• Wave action dissolves CO2 into ocean

• Photosynthesis- plants breathe it in, and

breathe out oxygen (phytoplankton do
this in ocean water)
Other ways CO2 is shared…
• Carbon stored in plants is passed on
to another organism when eaten
(food chain)

• Organisms die and decomposition

puts carbon into the ground creating
fossil fuels (oil, coal, etc.)
 The Energy Cycle (Energy
Budget)
• Water and carbon
Cycles are like wheels

• Energy Cycle is like a

balance
– Energy that comes in
must equal the energy
that comes out
What would happen
if the Earth’s energy
budget was not
balanced?
Scenario #1

• Too much energy

enters the Earth
system and not
enough leaves…
Scenario #2

• Too much energy

leaves the Earth
system and not
enough enters…
 Sources of Earth’s Energy

1. Solar energy- 99.895 %

2. Geothermal energy- 0.013 %

3. Tidal energy- 0.002 %

 Solar Energy
• Comes from nuclear fusion reactions in the
sun

• Drives wind, ocean currents, waves

• Source of energy that causes rocks to

weather forming soil
 Geothermal Energy
• Comes from the Earth as radioactive
materials decompose

• Drives the movement of the continents,

powers geysers, earthquakes, and
volcanoes
 Tidal Energy
• The result of the pull of the moon
on the Earth’s oceans

• Slows down Earth’s rotation and

causes the oceans to bulge
Energy Budget (Cycle)
Energy Budget (Cycle)
• about 40% is reflected back into
space without being changed
• the remaining energy is used within
the Earth system
• as it moves through the system, it is
changed. With every change, a little is
lost to the system.
The Effects of Earth’s Surface
• Albedo is the percentage of energy that is
reflected back into space without being
changed
• Earth’s average albedo: 30%
• Forest has low albedo: 5-10%
• Desert has high albedo: 50%
• Fresh snow: 80-90%
How do we
impact the
Earth?
• Humans can alter the albedo of an area,
which affects the Earth’s energy budget

• We can burn fossil fuels which puts CO2 in

the air, or plant trees, which takes CO2 out
of the air

• Damming a river lengthens the amount of

time it takes water to go through the
water cycle
 Why Study Earth Science?
1. Resources, Economics

2. Hazards

3. Human sustainability

4. Engineering

5. Military

6. Pure Science and Understanding

 And, finally, simply to
understand the nature of our
own back yard.