The Earth System

Our home, Earth, is the third planet from

the sun and the only world known to
support an atmosphere with free oxygen,
oceans of liquid water on the surface and —
the big one — life. Earth is one of the four
terrestrial planet: Like Mercury, Venus and
Mars, it is rocky at the surface.
 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/
Researchers calculate the age of the
Earth by dating both the oldest
rocks on the planet and meteorites
that have been discovered on Earth
(meteorites and Earth formed at the
same time, when the solar system
was forming). Earth is about 4.54
billion years old.
 Earth System Science

 Earth is a dynamic body

with many separate, but
highly interacting parts or
spheres.
 Earth system science
studies Earth as a system
composed of numerous
parts, or subsystems.
The Earth System M. Ruzek, 1999
The Earth’s Four Spheres
 Earth’s Four Spheres
The Earth is a system consisting of four major
interacting components:

Geosphere: comprises the solid Earth and includes

both Earth’s surface and the various layers of the
Earth's interior.
Atmosphere: gaseous envelope that surrounds the
Earth and constitutes the transition between it and the
vacuum of space
Hydrosphere: includes all water on Earth (including
surface water and groundwater)
Biosphere: the life zone of the Earth and includes all
living organisms, and all organic matter that has
not yet decomposed.
 The Atmosphere
The Earth is surrounded by a blanket
of air, which we call the atmosphere.
• The atmosphere consists of four
unique layers (the troposphere, the
stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the
thermosphere).
• The atmosphere reaches over 560
kilometers (348 miles) up from the
surface of the Earth.
• The atmosphere is primarily
composed of nitrogen (about 78%) and
oxygen (about 21%). Other
components exist in small quantities.
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html
 The Atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere is similar to a

jacket of our planet. It surrounds
our planet, keep us warm, give us
oxygen to breathe, and it is where
our weather happens.
 Atmosphere
• consists of a mixture of gases composed primarily of
nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour
•The mesosphere,
thermosphere, and
exosphere are zones of
diffuse atmospheric
components in the far
reaches of the
atmosphere.

The stratosphere
(10 to 50 km),
•The troposphere (0-10 contains ozone that
km) constitutes the protects life on the
climate system that planet by filtering
maintains the conditions harmful ultraviolet
suitable for life on the radiation from the
planet's surface. Sun.
Atmosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components

Hydrosphere: The gases of the atmosphere readily exchange

with those dissolved in water bodies (e.g. oceans, lakes, etc.)

Biosphere: The atmosphere supplies oxygen and carbon

dioxide that form the basis of life processes (photosynthesis
and respiration).

Geosphere: Gases in the atmosphere react with water to

produce weak acids that aid in the breakdown of rock.
 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.

Hydrosphere

Geosphere
Atmosphere

http://www.itvs.org/risingwaters/
Biosphere
 The Biosphere
The biosphere is the “life zone” of the Earth, and includes all
living organisms (including humans), and all organic matter that has not
yet decomposed.
• The biosphere is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain
(all life is dependant on the first tier – mainly the primary producers that
are capable of photosynthesis).
• Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to the
next.

http://www.geology.ufl.edu/Biosphere.html
Biosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components

Atmosphere: Life processes involve many chemical reactions

which either extract or emit gases to and from the
atmosphere (e.g. photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide
and releases oxygen, whereas respiration does the
opposite).

Hydrosphere: Evaporation of water from leaf surfaces

(transpiration) transfers water to the atmosphere.

Geosphere: The biosphere is connected to the geosphere

through soils (mixtures of air, mineral matter, organic matter,
and water). Plant activity (e.g. root growth and organic acid
production) are also for the mechanical and chemical
breakdown of the rocks.
 The Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere contains all the water
found on our planet.
• Water found on the surface of our planet
includes the ocean as well as water from lakes
and rivers, streams, and creeks.
• Water found under the surface of our planet
includes water trapped in the soil and
groundwater.
• Water found in our atmosphere includes
water vapor.
• Only about 3% of the water on Earth is
“fresh” water, and about 70% of the fresh
water is frozen in the form of glacial ice. http://water.tamu.edu/watercycle.html
Hydrosphere: Interactions with other Earth System components

Atmosphere: Water is transferred between the hydrosphere

and biosphere by evaporation and precipitation. Energy is
also exchanged in this process.

Biosphere: Water is necessary for the transport of nutrients

and waste products in organisms.

Geosphere: Water is the primary agent for the chemical and

mechanical breakdown of rock (weathering), to form loose
rock fragments and soil, and sculpts the surface of the
Earth.
 The Geosphere

The geosphere is the solid

Earth that includes the continental
and ocean crust as well the various
layers of Earth’s interior.
• 94% of the Earth is composed of
the elements oxygen, silicon, and
magnesium.
•Mineral resources are mined from
the geosphere.

http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Introduction/Geosphere.html
 Earth’s Layers: Composition and Mechanical Characteristics
Composition Physical Characteristics
crust Primarily silica
lithosphere brittle solid
plus light asthenosphere solid (but
metallic nearly
elements liquid)

mantle
mesosphere solid
Primarily
silica plus
iron and
magnesium

outer core liquid

Primarily iron
core and nickel
inner core solid

Note: Lithosphere contains both crust and uppermost (brittle) layer of mantle
 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

Atmosphere Biosphere http://www.ecuador-travel.net/

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
 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”

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
The Bottom Line
Considerations on how processes within the Earth
System interact are extremely important in the
understanding of the real world.

Understanding physical and chemical processes in

the Earth System is as important as
understanding biological entities in terms of
understanding biological systems (all are
connected)