Interactions of Earth's Systems

Chapter 3 Lesson 2

Interactions of Earth Systems

The Water Cycle

• The water cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface.

• Evaporation: The process when a liquid becomes a gas.

• Transpiration: The process by which plants release water vapor from their leaves.

• Respiration: Water vapor and carbon dioxide released by organisms breathing.

The Water Cycle

• Condensation: The process by which a gas changes in a liquid. When water loses it's thermal energy it becomes tiny droplets, when millions of droplets join together, clouds form.

• Precipitation: Moisture that falls from clouds to Earth's surface. This includes rain and snow. More than 75% of precipitation fall into the ocean.

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of an interaction between the atmosphere and the geosphere?

• breathing

• ocean currents

• storms

• weathering

Changes in the Atmosphere

• Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a certain time and place.

• Air temperature: the measure of the average amount of energy produced by the motion of air molecules.

• Air pressure: the force exerted by air molecules in all directions.

• Wind: the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure.

Changes in the Atmosphere

• Humidity: the amount of water vapor in a given volume of air.

• Weather is influenced by conditions in the atmosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere. Air masses take on the characteristics of the are they form. Cool Ocean = Cool moist air.

• Warm tropical waters provide thermal energy for hurricanes.

Changes in the Atmosphere

• Climate is the average weather pattern for a region over a long period of time.

• Mountains: Air temperature decreases with altitude, so the air at the top of a mountain, is cooler than the air below. Mountains also cause rain shadows,.

• Ocean Currents: Surface currents caused by wind transport thermal energy, warming certain areas.

The Rock Cycle

• The Rock Cycle is the series of processes that transport and continually change rocks into different forms.

• Igneous Rock: When molten material, magma, cools and hardens.

• Sedimentary Rock: When forces like water, wind, and ice break down rocks into small pieces of sediment, these layers are compressed and cemented together.

The Rock Cycle

• Metamorphic Rock: When extreme temperatures and pressure within Earth change existing rocks into new rocks. They don't melt, their structure or composition changes.

• Uplift: The process that moves large bodies of Earth material to higher elevations, often associated with the formation of mountains.

Multiple Choice

What sequence accurately shows the events that form sedimentary rocks?

• compaction > cementation > melting

• erosion > volcanic eruption > weathering

• volcanic eruption > cooling > crystallization

• weathering > erosion > depostion

The Rock Cycle

• Weathering: the wind, rain, and glaciers break down rocks into sediment.

• Erosion: the carrying of sediment, by water, wind, or glaciers, to new locations.

• Deposition: when sediment finally settles. Over time, layers of sediment form.

Infer

How might the distribution of freshwater on Earth change if surface temperatures increased?

Impact on fresh water:

Increased temperatures result in decreased snowfall in the mountains which lead to less freshwater flow to rivers.

When glaciers melt, the freshwater goes into the ocean, reducing our access to fresh water.

Increased sea levels can lead to contamination of ground water.