Earth’s Subsystems

How do Earth’s subsystems

affect each other?
Terrarium
 The Earth System
■ “Earth is a complex
system of interacting
physical, chemical and
biological processes,
and provides a natural
laboratory whose
experiments have been
running since the
beginning of time.”
NASA
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/earthsystem/nutshell/
 Earth’s subsystems
⮚ A system is a set of interconnected
components that are interacting to form a
unified whole
⮚ A Closed system is a system in which
there is only an exchange of heat or energy
and no exchange of matter.  The Earth
system is essentially a closed system.   It
receives energy from the sun and returns
some of this energy to space.
Earth As A Closed System
 Earth As A Closed System
⮚ Changes within one subsystem
eventually cause changes in
others.
⮚ Although Earth is considered a
closed system, its four subsystems
are open, & matter & energy can
freely transfer between/among
them
Mount Pinatubo eruption caused
temporary changes in global surface
temperature & forever changed the
topography of central Luzon
The Earth System M. Ruzek, 1999
Earth’s Four Spheres
Earth’s Four Spheres  

Atmosphere
✔the thin gaseous layer that envelopes the
lithosphere
✔composed of 78% nitrogen (N), 21% oxygen (O2),
0.9% argon, and trace amount of other gases
✔One of the most important processes by which the
heat on the Earth's surface is redistributed is through
atmospheric circulation
✔There is also a constant exchange of heat and
moisture between the atmosphere and the
hydrosphere through the hydrologic cycle
Earth’s Four Spheres  

Lithosphere/Geosphere
✔the solid Earth
✔includes the rocks of the crust and mantle,
the metallic liquid outer core, and the solid
metallic inner core
✔briefly discuss the Plate Tectonics as an
important process shaping the surface of the
Earth. The primary driving mechanism is the
Earth's internal heat, such as that in mantle
convection
Earth’s Four Spheres  

Hydrosphere
✔the Earth's water
✔About 70% of the Earth and much of it is in
the form of ocean water
✔Only 3% of Earth's water is fresh: two-
thirds are in the form of ice (cryosphere), and
the remaining one-third is present in streams,
lakes, and groundwater
Earth’s Four Spheres  

Biosphere
✔the set of all life forms on Earth
✔covers all ecosystems—from the soil to the
rainforest, from mangroves to coral reefs,
and from the plankton-rich ocean surface to
the deep sea
✔it is in this zone that the interaction among
the different subsystems is most dynamic
Overlapping Cycles in the Earth System

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/GRAPHIC0/Astronomy/EarthSystems.gif
 System Interactions
Hurricanes
(atmosphere) sweep
across the ocean
(hydrosphere) and onto
the land (geosphere),
damaging the dwellings
of people (biosphere)
who live along the coast. http://www.itvs.org/risingwaters/
 System Interactions
Volcanoes (geosphere) erupt,
sending ash and gases into the air
(atmosphere) and sending lava
and ash down onto surrounding
forests (biosphere) and human
habitations (biosphere).

Geosphere

http://www.ecuador-travel.net/
Atmosphere Biosphere information.volcano.pichincha.erupti
on.htm
 System Interactions
Earthquakes (geosphere) can damage buildings which
may kill people (biosphere), as well as cause fires
which release gases into the air (atmosphere).
Earthquakes in the ocean may cause a tsunami
(hydrosphere) which can eventually hit land and kill
both animals and people (biosphere).

Biosphere

Geosphere Atmosphere

Hydrosphere
 Biogeochemical Cycle
⮚ Links the 4 subsystems
⮚ Involves biological, geological, &
chemical factors; e.g., water cycle
⮚ Are pathways by which chemical
substances move through both
biotic (biosphere) & abiotic
(atmosphere, geosphere,
hydrosphere) components of Earth
 Where Do Humans Fit In?
As components of the biosphere,
humans are temporary receptacles of
the matter and energy that flows through
the Earth System

“You are what you eat, drink, and

breathe”
 Where Do Humans Fit In?
Human health is, to some degree, a
function of how this flow of matter and
energy flows through, and interacts with,
the human body

In many cases, problems of human

health are fundamentally linked to the
natural distribution of Earth materials