Earth and Earth Systems

•The earth is essentially a closed

system.
•A closed system is a system in
which there is only an exchange
of heat or energy and no
exchange of matter.
•The Earth receives energy from
the sun and returns some of
this energy to space.
The Earth’s Atmosphere
Composition of Air
• According to NASA, the gases in Earth’s Atmosphere
include:
• Nitrogen — 78 percent
• Oxygen — 21 percent
• Argon — 0.93 percent
• Carbon dioxide — 0.04 percent
• Trace amounts of neon, helium, methane, krypton and
hydrogen, as well as water vapor
Atmosphere
• very thin layer of air
that envelops the earth
which separates and
protects from the
space
• air we breathe is what
makes up the
atmosphere
Atmosphere
• mixture of gases
• Nitrogen - diluent and slows the
action of oxygen
• Oxygen – supports life and
combustion
• Trace gases – 1%
• water vapor, carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide, and some inert
gases (most prevalent – argon)
• dusts and pollen, and other gases
emitted by industries and
volcanoes
Troposhpere
• layer closest to Earth's
surface.
• 4 to 12 miles (7 to 20 km)
• Air is warmer near the
ground and gets colder
higher up
• Nearly all of the water
vapor and dust in the
atmosphere are in this
layer
Stratosphere
• It starts above the
troposphere and ends about
31 miles (50 km) above
ground.
• Ozone is abundant here and it
heats the atmosphere while
also absorbing harmful
radiation from the sun.
• Air is very dry
• about a thousand times
thinner here than it is at sea
level.
Mesosphere
• starts at 31 miles (50 km) and
extends to 53 miles (85 km)
high
• Mesopause-coldest part of
Earth's atmosphere, with
temperatures averaging about
minus 130 degrees F (minus
90 C).
• meteors burn up in this layer.
Thermosphere
• extends from about 56 miles
(90 km) to between 310 and
620 miles (500 and 1,000 km)
• Temperatures can get up to
2,700 degrees F (1,500 C) at
this altitude
• considered part of Earth's
atmosphere, but air density is
so low that most of this layer
is what is normally thought of
as outer space
Exosphere
• The exosphere, the highest
layer, is extremely thin and is
where the atmosphere
merges into outer space.
• composed of very widely
dispersed particles of
hydrogen and helium.
• contains most of the satellites
• Considered as actual final
frontier of the earths’s
gaseous envelope
Exosphere
• The exosphere, the highest
layer, is extremely thin and is
where the atmosphere
merges into outer space.
• composed of very widely
dispersed particles of
hydrogen and helium.
Atmospheric Processes
• Energy is transferred
from the earth’s surface
to the atmosphere -
conduction, convection
and radiation
• responsible for the
heating of the
troposphere
Atmospheric Processes
• Conduction - transmission of
heat energy through contact
with neighboring molecules
• Air and water are relatively
poor conductors
• At night - ground cools and the
cold ground conducts heat
away from the adjacent air
• During the day - solar radiation
heats the ground, which heats
the air next to it by conduction
Atmospheric Processes
• Convection - transmits heat by
transporting groups of
molecules from place to place
within a substance
• Since water and air move
freely- heat transmission
occurs by convection
• vertical motions effectively
distribute heat and moisture
throughout the atmospheric
column and contribute to cloud
and storm development
Atmospheric Processes
• Radiation -transfer of heat
energy without the
involvement of a physical
substance in the transmission
• Energy travels from the sun to
the earth by means of
electromagnetic waves
• shorter the wavelength, the
higher the energy
• ultraviolet wavelengths -
shorter-than-visible
wavelengths
• much higher energy
 Global warming

• increasing atmospheric temperature as a

result of the accumulation of greenhouse
gases
• presence of the greenhouse gases - very
small amount of the heat or IR radiation is
able to escape
 Global warming

• continuing industrialization - increasing

combustion of fossil fuels, excessive gas
emissions from vehicles and machines, and
massive destruction of forests by logging, and
burning (kaingin) - most dangerous threats
made by men to the greenhouse effect and
global warming
The Earth’s Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
• The sum of frozen water around the
globe in the form of snow, ice, lake ice,
frozen ground and permafrost glaciers
and ice sheets.
How does the Cryosphere
Change?
How does the Cryosphere
Change?
The Anthroposphere
The Anthroposphere
• The anthroposphere encompasses the total human
presence throughout the Earth system including
our culture, technology, built environment, and
associated activities.
• Anthropocene- the age within which the
anthroposphere developed