The Earth and Its Subsystems Flashcards
(68 cards)
1
Q
- study of Earth, Earth’s interior, Rocks and Soil, Atmosphere, Oceans, and its neighbors in space
- an exciting science with many interesting and practical applications
A
Earth Science
2
Q
- the systematic study of inorganic world, as distinct from the study of the organic world, which is the province of biological science.
- is ordinarily thought of as consisting of four broad areas: Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Science.
A
Physical Science
3
Q
- observe phenomena and compile data to find solutions to problems and the answer to questions that are also of interest to researchers in other physical science.
- who specialize in climatology share many ideas and
information with Atmospheric Physics. - bring distinctive points of view to scientific study
- are concerned with the processes that affect Earth’s Physical Environments at scales from Global to Regional to Local
- with this we can better understand our planet’s physical geography
- we can also appreciate the importance of viewing Earth as a constantly functioning system.
A
Physical Geographers
4
Q
- study some of the same elements and compounds
analyzed by Chemists.
A
Soil Geographers
5
Q
- are concerned about environments that support the same plants and animals that are classified
A
Biogeographers
6
Q
- describe different kinds of interaction and important aspects of how we as self-aware beings perceive reality
A
Holistic Perspective
7
Q
- a historical perspective focuses on the Temporal dimension of human experience (time and chronology), while geography is concerned with the Spatial dimension of human experience (space and place).
- understanding spatial patterns and processes is essential to appreciating how people live on Earth.
A
Spatial Perspective
8
Q
- any entity that consists of interrelated parts or components.
A
System
9
Q
- relies on the interactions among a vast combination of factors that enable it to support life
- continually responding to changes
A
Earth System
10
Q
- the individual components of a system
- change by interacting with one another as parts of a functioning unit
- a change in one aspect of the earth’s system affects certain other parts
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Variables
11
Q
- are functioning units of a major system that demonstrate strong internal connections
A
Subsystems
12
Q
Earth’s Major Subsystems (4)
A
- Atmosphere
- Hydrosphere
- Lithosphere
- Biosphere
13
Q
- is the gaseous blanket of air that envelops, shields, and insulates Earth
- variations in atmospheric components and processes create the changing conditions (Weather and Climate)
A
Atmosphere
14
Q
- the total amount of water on our planet that includes the water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air
- can be liquid, vapor, or ice
- exists on the surface of ocean, lakes, and rivers
A
Hydrosphere
15
Q
- the solid, outer part of the earth, including the brittle upper portion of the mantle and crust such as the landforms, rocks, soils, and minerals
A
Lithosphere
16
Q
- the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the Earth occupied by living organisms such as people, other animals, and plants
A
Biosphere
17
Q
-these major subsystem and the interactions among them nurture the conditions ______
A
Necessary for Life
18
Q
- The ____ and _____ of interactions within and between Earth’s subsystem are ___ equal everywhere. This inequality leads to our Planet’s ____ ____ and produces the wide….
A
Impact, Intensity
Not
Environmental Diversity
19
Q
- The Earth’s System is ___
A
Dynamic
20
Q
- We can directly observe some of these changes in Earth’s System (5)
A
- Seasons
- Ocean tides
- Earthquakes
- Floods
- Volcanic eruptions
21
Q
- other environmental changes may take years or more than a lifetime to accumulate enough modification so that humans can recognize their impact
A
Long-term changes
22
Q
- Changes on Earth may be (3)
A
- Naturally Cause
- Human Induced
- Combination
23
Q
- centers on the increasing impact that human activities are exerting on Earth’s Natural System
A
Global Warming
24
Q
- our surrounding
- including all physical, social, and cultural aspects and ways of living
- are systems composed of a wide variety of elements and processes that involve interconnections among weather, climate, soils, rocks, terrain, plants, animals, water, and human.
A
Environment
25
- the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.
Ecology
26
- refers to a community of organisms and the relationship of those organisms to each other and to their environment
- are dynamic because various parts are always changing.
Ecosystem
27
- Earth's most critical characteristic
- natural processes produce an adequate supply of oxygen; the sun interacts with the atmosphere, oceans, and land to maintain tolerable temperatures, and photosynthesis or other processes produce food supplies for living things
- food, water, and oxygen
Life Support System
28
- consuming Earth's resources at a level that our planet can sustain indefinitely, while still developing the resources that we need to for adequate living
- Earth's ability to support human life
- we realize that the critical parts of our planet's life support system, natural resources, can be abused, wasted, or exhausted
Sustainable Living
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- substances needed to support life, or that are used by humans to improve our living conditions
Natural resources
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- resources that cannot be replaced
Nonrenewable resources
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- this problem of using more resources in a year than the annual renewal growth or replacement
Environmental Overshoot
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- is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their.....
Sustainable Development
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- are two-way relationships
| - the environment influences human activities and human activities affect the environment
Human-Environment Interactions
34
- refers to any natural process, typically of unusual intensity, that puts the environment and human life or property at risk of damage or destruction
Natural Hazards
35
Example of Natural Hazards (10)
1. earthquakes
2. tsunamis
3. floods
4. tornadoes
5. volcanic eruptions
6. hurricanes
7. severe storms
8. coastal erosions
9. wildfires
1o. landslides
36
- can have negative impacts on environmental conditions because the ability of humans to alter the landscape has been increasing
Human Activities
37
- is environmental damage caused by human activities
Environmental Degradation
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- undesirable or unhealthy contamination in the environment
Pollution
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- can be polluted to the point where they become unusable, toxic, or even lethal to some life forms
Critical resources
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Critical resources (3)
1. Air
2. Water
3. Soil
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- representation of the real world
- is a useful simplification of a more complex reality that permits prediction and every model is unique
- a simplified representation of all part of Earth that provide us with useful information
Models
42
- include pictures, maps, graphs, diagrams, drawings, and computer-generated visualizations
Pictorial/Graphic Models
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- are solid 3D, such as a world globe or a replica of a mountain or stream
Physical Models
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- are used to understand processes and predict possibilities such as River floods
- used to predict an outcome
- suggest the influence of climate change on a regions daily weather
Mathematical/Statistical Models
45
- often create visualizations, which are 3D images or animations showing the nature of a landscape or how it might respond to changes in processes
Computer-generated Models
46
These can also serve as models: (3)
1. Words
2. Language
3. Definition of terms
47
- is the mind imagery that we use for understanding and experiences
Conceptual Models
48
- a particularly important conceptual model
| - it is used to think about places, travel routes and distribution of features in space
Mental Map
49
- Physical geographers have adopted from physics and other sciences the notion of systems
- powerful method of examining systems
- allows the investigation of how natural or human-induced changes in one variable or process affect others
System Analysis
50
3 Strategies of System Analysis:
1. Clearly define the system that you are studying.
2. Break the defined system down into its component parts.
3. Attempt to understand how these variables are related to one another.
51
variables in a system are either (2)
matter or energy
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- provides an example of a system
- shows the movement of energy and matter into a system and the movement out of the system, the storage energy and matter and interaction within the system
Human body
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- is a beneficial strategy for studying environmental conditions on Earth
System approach
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Photosynthesis
1. absorption of nutrients from the soil (water), air (carbon dioxide), and leaves (sunlight)
2. transformation of nutrients into food called glucose
3. releasing of converted glucose into oxygen in the air
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2 Basic Kinds of System:
1. Open system
| 2. Closed system
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- the system and its surroundings freely exchange both energy and matter
- Planet Earth (in: solar energy, out: heat energy)
- most earth subsystems are like this
- there are interactions
- ex: drainage basin. solar energy
Open system
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- energy can enter and leave, but matter does not enter or leave
- does not interact with the environment at all
- ex: system in manufacturing
Closed system
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- energy and matter enter the system and are stored
Inputs
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- energy and matter leave the system
Outputs
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- means that natural system have built-in mechanism that tend to counterbalance or accommodate, change without affecting the system dramatically
balance of nature
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- if the inputs antering the system are balanced by outputs, the system has reached its ___
Equlibrium
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- unchanging equilibrium over a short period of time
Static equilibrium
63
- the system change within the range of tolerance or unstable on the short term, stay unchanged over the long term
Dynamic equilibrium
64
- the interaction that cause changes or adjustments between parts of a system are called ____
Feedback
65
- tends to offset or counteract the original change, thus it tends to maintain equilibrium in the system
- inverse relationship
- ex: solar energy and terrestrial energy
Negative Feedback
66
- changes that reinforce the direction of an initial change
- direct relationship
- ex: respiration and global warming
Positive Feedback
67
- a condition that causes a system to change dramatically, in this case bringing the positive feedback to a halt or completely reversing the effects of the feedback
Threshold
68
- is a set of feedback operations that can be repeated as a cycle
Feedback Loop
