-
EARTH'S SYSTEMS
-
What is a SYSTEM?-
A SYSTEM is an organized group of parts
that work together to form a whole.
-
Planet Earth "IS" a SYSTEM!
-
Earth's SYSTEM is both a CLOSED SYSTEM and an OPEN SYSTEM.
-
OPEN SYSTEM: Earth is an OPEN system
in respect to energy.
Energy in the form of light and heat
do enter and leave the system.
-
CLOSED SYSTEM:
Earth is a CLOSED system with
respect to matter.
Matter does not leave Earth's system.
(Example: soil and water)
-
The Earth has 5 SUBSYSTEMS
-
One of the subsystems of Earth is
the HYDROSPHERE.
The HYDROSPHERE is the "WATER" part of the Earth.
-
The hydrosphere includes: bodies of water like rivers, lakes, oceans,
ponds, and even puddles.
It also includes precipitation.
-
The ATMOSPHERE is another subsystem of the EARTH
-
The ATMOSPHERE includes the 4 different layers: (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere). It includes the gases in our atmosphere like N2, O2, CO2, H2O, Ar, Ne, ...
-
The GEOSPHERE is another subsystem of Earth and includes all landforms, mountains, soil, minerals, and rocks.
-
The GEOSPHERE can also include the layers of the Earth that we do NOT see, such as the "lithosphere, asthenosphere, mantle, and core."
-
The 5th SUBSYSTEM includes the glaciers and the ice portion of the Earth's systems. It is called the CRYOSPHERE
-
CRYOSPHERE is sometimes included in the "Hydrosphere." WHY do you think this might be so?
-
CRYO- means to "freeze"
-
Do we only see one "subsystem" at a time?
Rarely, subsystems are usually "interacting" with another subsystem.
-
Here you see the BIOSPHERE interacting with the HYDROSPHERE
-
Sometimes, one subsystem might affect the other subsystem.
Here we see some rain clouds in the ATMOSPHERE that might affect the BIOSPHERE (the crops). The crops are growing on the GEOSPHERE.
-
Here we see the biosphere (human and forest) interacting with the geosphere (the path). The human is wearing down the path with the bike tires.
-
What subsystems do you see interacting here?
-
What about here?
-
On a piece of paper, describe how the systems you see in this kayak photo interact and affect the other systems.
-
Also write about this beach scene.
Explain each of the subsystems you see.
Also, explain how the different systems interact and might affect the other.
-

