Exploring

the Earth
TWO MAJOR REQUIREMENTS:
1. The star should survive long
enough for its planet to develop life.

• Massive stars - have the least

possibility to have habitable planets since
they can only live for a relatively short
period

suiN - medium-mass star which can

survive long enough for life to develop
TWO MAJOR REQUIREMENTS:
2. The planet should exist in a region
where water could remain liquid.

- this entails that the planet must be

located in the Goldilocks Zone.
EARTH SYSTEM
REFERS TO EARTH ' S I N T E R A C T I N G
PHYSICAL , CHEMICAL , AND BIOLOGICAL
PROCESSES

The system consists of the land, oceans, atmosphere,

and poles. It includes the planet's natural cycles and
deep Earth processes. Life too is an integral part of
the Earth system.
 the waiter port iun
“ Hydro ” is a G ree k root
w hic h mea ns wate r .

It is the liqu id component of the

Earth .
Water in the hydrosphere can be
in different forms:

• liquid (like in rivers)

• solid (like ice in glaciers)
• gas (like water vapor in the air)
• ocea ns , glac ia l wate rs , a nd
f res hwate r bodies
- cove r 7 1 % of the
ea rth ’ s su rface

• sa ltwate r - 9 7 . 5 % of the
wate r o n Ea rth
• f res hwate r - 2 . 5 %
Distribution of Freshwater

Glacier and Ice Caps: Surface Water: Groundwater:

About 68.7% of all A small amount of freshwater About 30.1% of freshwater is
freshwater is frozen in (about 1.2%) is found in rivers, found underground. This water
glaciers and ice caps, lakes, and wetlands. This is the is stored in spaces between
mostly in Antarctica and most easily accessible water rocks and soil and can
Greenland. for humans and wildlife. be accessed through
wells.
 ALSO KNOWN AS THE WATER CYCLE
It i s a w ay of d e s c r ibi ng t h e m ate r i a l fl ow of w ate r
t h ro ugh o ut t h e E a r t h . Thi s s e r i e s of ste ps d e s c r ib e s h ow
w a t e r m ov e s a c ro s s t h e Ea rt h a n d c h a ng e s fo r m .

PROCESS:
• Eva p o r at i o n
• C o n d e n s at i o n
• P r e c ipit a t i o n
• I n filt r a t i o n
• T r a n s pi r a t i o n
• R u n o ff
Liq u id w ate r i s atta i n e d o n Ea rt
h b e c a u s e Ea rt h h a s a r ight
te m pe rat u re to m a i nta i n it s
liq u id ph a s e .

Th e r ight a m o u nt of w ate r i s
giv e n by t h e s u n d u r i ng d ayti m e
a n d reta i n e d by Ea rt h ’ s
at m o s ph e re d u r i ng n ightti m e .
The atmosphere refers to the layer of gases
that surrounds the Earth.

The word atmosphere comes from the Greek

roots "afm nos"which means gas, and
"sphair a" which means globe or ball.
 It c o n t a i n s s u b s t a n c e s
e s s e n t i a l f o r l if e .
• 7 8 % N it r o g e n
• 2 1 % O x yg e n
It consists mainly of nitrogen • 0 .9 3% A rgo n
oxygen, along with small amounts • 0 . 04% wate r vap o r i nc l ud i n g a
other gases.

The atmosphere provides

protection, regulates
and supports weather and
climate
.--------------------------- - Troposphere
●-------------------------- Stratospher

● e

●------------------------ Mesosphere

● Thermospher
●---------------------- e Exosphere
 The troposphere is the lowest layer of
Earth 's atmosphere, extending from the
Earth 's surface up to an average altitude
of about 12 kilometers.

It is the layer where weather

occurs, and it is where we live and
breathe.

Hot air balloons and airplanes fly within

the troposphere because it provides the
necessary conditions for safe and
efficient air travel.
 The stratosphere is the layer of
Earth 's atmosphere located above the
troposphere. It extends roughly from
an altitude of about 12 kilometers to 50
kilometers above the Earth 's surface.

The stratosphere is also

ozone layer, which shields the Earth
from harmful UV radiation.

Radiosondes can collect data and travel

up to the lower part of the
stratosphere.
Ozone
Layer

Ozone
Layer

Ozone
Layer
 It extends approximately from an
altitude of about 50 kilometers to 85
kilometers above the Earth 's
surface.

The mesosphere is characterized by

thin air and low atmospheric pressure.
It is also the layer where meteors burn
up upon entry into the Earth 's
atmosphere, creating the visual
phenomenon known as shooting stars.
 It begins approximately at an altitude
of 85 kilometers and has no clearly
defined upper boundary. The
thermosphere is primarily composed of
individual gas molecules, such as oxygen
and nitrogen, rather than molecular
combinations.

The thermosphere is also where the

auroras, such as the Northern Lights
and Southern Lights, occur.
The exosphere is the outermost layer
of Earth 's atmosphere. It is the
uppermost region of the atmosphere
and gradually transitions into the
vacuum of space.

The exosphere is where satellites and

other human-made objects in Earth 's
orbit are found.
Satellites are strategically placed in
orbit within the exosphere to perform
their various functions.
 the3uli dcormp one nt
" Geo " is a G ree k root w hic h
mea ns g ro u nd .
The geosphere is the part of Earth
that includes all the rocks,
landforms, and the ground
our feet. It includes
valleys, and all types of
These are the layers
of the
A Crust
.
(thickness is around 0-60 km)

The Earth's outermost layer is known as

the crust.
The crust is made of relatively light
elements, especially silica, aluminum and
oxygen.
 B. Mantle
(thickness is approximately 2,900 km)

• mainly made up of semi-

molten rock

• the rock is hard in the upper part

of the mantle, but lower down
the

rock is softer and begins to melt

 C. Outer Core
• similar to a very hot ball of
metals, whose temperature
is around 4000 oF to 9000
oF
It is composed of liquid iron and
nickel.
 D. Inner Core

• the centre, the deepest, and

the hottest layer of the
Earth

• made up of solid iron

and nickel

The inner core has pressures and temperatures so high

that the metals are squeezed together and not able to
move like a liquid but are forced to vibrate instead of
solid.
 EDUARD SEUSS
G e o l o gi st w h o c o i n e d th e w o r d
" Bi o s ph e r e " i n 1 8 7 5 .

the sliving cum pons it

" Bio" is a Greek root that means life .

This is the living sphere of the earth.

 the sliving cum pons it
to
s l i
I of the abiotic factors
i in the system
l s t he f

It is i nti m at e ly r e lat e d to th e oth e r

th r e e s ph e r es : Liv i ng o rga n is m s a ls o
r e q u i r e a m e di u m fo r life a n d a r e
a da pt e d to i n ha bit o n e o r m o r e of th e
oth e r th r e e s ph e r es .
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
It is th e p r o c ess
by w hi c h pl a n ts a
bs o r b
s u n light a n d t u r n th a t
e n e rgy i n t o fo o d .
 HOW THE EARTH’S SUBSYSTEMS
INTERACT
These subsystems are interconnected by processes and cycles, which, over
time, intermittently store, transform and/or transfer matter and energy
throughout the whole Earth system in ways that are governed by the laws of
conservation of matter and energy.
Atmosphere and Hydrosphere Interact

Evaporation and Weather: Cloud Formation: Weather Patterns:

When water evaporates, it Clouds form when water The movement of water
adds water vapor to the vapor condenses in the between the hydrosphere
atmosphere. This water atmosphere. The type of and atmosphere helps create
vapor can later form clouds cloud can affect the kind of different weather conditions
and precipitation, affecting weather we experience, like around the world.
weather patterns. sunny, rainy, or snowy days.
 Geosphere and Biosphere
Interact

Plants and Soil: Animal Habitats: Erosion and Landforms:

Plants grow in the soil, which Animals use the land for their Animals and plants can change
is part of the geosphere. They homes. For example, rabbits the land. For example, tree roots
take nutrients from the soil to dig burrows in the ground, can break rocks apart, and
grow. Without soil, many plants and birds build nests in animals like beavers build
wouldn’t have a place to grow. trees that grow in the soil. dams that can create new
ponds.
 HOW THE EARTH’S SUBSYSTEMS
INTERACT

PROCESSES: CYCLES:
• evaporation • rock cycle
• erosion • food chain
• convection currents • carbon cycle
• photosynthesis • nitrogen cycle
• weathering • energy cycles
THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
The parts of the Earth system are often described as "spheres".

• Martin Ruzek notes that,

“the difficulty with any representation that
divides the system is the danger of continuing
a deconstructed perception of the holistic
Earth system - in reality no part of the Earth
system can be considered in isolation from any
other part. ”