The earth system Flashcards
Who took the iconic image of the “blue marble” and when
the astronaut and geologist Jack Schmitt in 1972
what is scientific reductionism
the reduction of complex interactions to them sum of their constituent parts in order to make them easier to study-> part of the systems approach
what is an isolated system
there is no exchange of matter and energy (there is no real world example of this, only imaginary_
what is a closed system
there is an exchange of energy but not matter (eg. whole of earth)
what is an open system
there is an exchange of matter and energy, applies to most systems
by what measurement do box models show fluxes
units of mass or volume per time
what do the boxes in a box model represent
reservoirs
what is flux
amount and rate of transfer of energy per unit of area
what is a reservoir
a place where material or energy is stored for some time
what are the four main reservoirs in the earth system
geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
name four earth system cycles
biogeochemical, hydrological, rock, tectonic
give seven characteristics of natural systems
- invariably in movement,
- sustained by an external energy source,
- matter cycles through the system,
- steady state disequilibrium,
- feedbacks operate to sustain steady state conditions,
- nested within a larger scale and contains smaller systems,
- changes over time.
who wrote Chaos (theory)
James Gleick
