Earth's Systems

Chapter 3 Lesson 1

Earth Systems

What are Earth's Systems?

• The biosphere: the system that contains all living things.

• The atmosphere: the mixture of gases that forms a layer around Earth.

• The hydrosphere: the system containing all Earth's water.

• The geosphere: the solid part of Earth including the soil and rocks beneath the oceans.

Multiple Choice

Which Earth system are we a part of?

• Biosphere

• Atmosphere

• Hydrosphere

• Geosphere

What makes up the atmosphere?

• The atmosphere is is made up of 78% nitrogen, and the rest is mostly oxygen with smaller amounts of C02, methane and water vapor that help regulate Earths temperature.

Layers of the Atmosphere:

• Troposphere: Gases flow and swirl here, causing weather. It gets colder the higher up you go.

• Stratosphere: You'll fond the ozone layer here. Gases are stable and form flat layers.

• Upper Layers: Temperatures decrease in the mesosphere, and then increases again in the thermosphere. After the Exosphere is outer space.

Desalination

• We can't drink salt water. Desalination plants separate dissolved salts and from the sea water via reverse osmosis.

• 1. Salt water is pumped into a chamber from the ocean.

• 2. High pressure forces water through a semipermeable membrane which acts as a filter, stopping the salt.

• 3. Fresh water is collected in a separate tank.

Pros and Cons of Desalination

• Places such as Saudi Arabia and Japan use this as they have little access to freshwater. It is also helpful in drought areas.

• Desalination plants are expensive to operate and require a lot of energy.

The Geosphere

• Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids that have crystal structures and definite chemical compositions.

• Rocks are naturally occurring solids composed of minerals and sometimes other materials such as organic matter.

Multiple Choice

Which gas makes up most of the atmosphere?

• nitrogen

• oxygen

• carbon dioxide

• methane

Multiple Choice

What happens to the temperature if you go up a mountain?

• It increases

• it decreases

Hypothesize

Earth systems interact with and affect one another. What might happen to your local hydrosphere and geosphere if conditions in the troposphere caused rain for several weeks?

Hypothesis

Rivers and streams may overflow their banks and cause widespread flooding. Heavy rains might cause soil erosion and might lead to landslides.