 System is any entity that consists of interrelated parts.

 A system is a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.

ATMOSPHERE
 The atmosphere is the thin gaseous layer that envelopes the lithosphere.
 The present atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen (N), 21% oxygen (O2), 0.9% argon, and
trace amount of other gases.
 One of the most important processes by which the heat on the Earth's surface is redistributed is
through atmospheric circulation.
 There is also a constant exchange of heat and moisture between the atmosphere and the
hydrosphere through the hydrologic cycle.
HYDROSPEHERE
 About 70% of the Earth is covered with liquid water (hydrosphere) and much of it is in the form
of ocean water
 Only 3% of Earth's water is fresh: two-thirds are in the form of ice, and the remaining one-third
is present in streams, lakes, and groundwater.
 The oceans are important sinks for CO2 through direct exchange with the atmosphere and
indirectly through the weathering of rocks.
 Heat is absorbed and redistributed on the surface of the Earth through ocean circulation.
LITHOSPHERE
 Derived from Greek word Lithos meaning rocky/stone.

 The lithosphere includes the rocks of the crust and mantle, the metallic liquid outer core, and
the solid metallic inner core.
 Plate Tectonics is an important process shaping the surface of the Earth. The primary driving
mechanism is the Earth's internal heat, such as that in mantle convection.
BIOSPEHERE
 The biosphere is the “living sphere” of planet Earth. It is the most remarkable characteristic of
our planet, and makes Earth unique within the planetary system. The evolution of life and
biosphere began perhaps as early as 4.2 billion years ago, but by 2.7 billion years ago life had
started to have a significant effect on the atmosphere, oceans, and lithosphere.
 At present, 2.7 billion-year-old fossilized algae are the oldest known evidence for life. These
organisms were able to produce free oxygen, which did not exist in former ancient
atmospheres. As a result, an oxygen- rich atmosphere began to develop some 2 billion years
ago, early in the so- called Proterozoic Eon.
 The biosphere is the set of all life forms on Earth.
 It covers all ecosystems—from the soil to the rainforest, from mangroves to coral reefs, and
from the plankton-rich ocean surface to the deep sea.
 For the majority of life on Earth, the base of the food chain comprises photosynthetic
organisms. During photosynthesis, CO2 is sequestered from the atmosphere, while oxygen is
released as a by product. The biosphere is a CO2 sink, and therefore, an important part of the
carbon cycle.
 Sunlight is not necessary for life.

The origin of the systems approach to the study of the Earth

 One of the first scientist to push for a more integrated or holistic approach in the understanding
of the universe (and by extension the Earth) was Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von
Humboldt. He considered the universe as one interacting entity.
  The term "biosphere" was popularized by Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945), a Russian - Ukranian
scientist who hypothesized that life is a geological force that shapes the Earth.
 In the 1970s, the Gaia Hypothesis was jointly developed by James Lovelock, an English
scientist/naturalist, and Lynn Margulis, an American microbiologist. According to the Gaia
Hypothesis, the biosphere is a self-regulating system that is capable of controlling its physical
and chemical environment.
 In 1983, NASA advisory council established the Earth Systems Science Committee. The
committee, chaired by Moustafa Chahine, published a ground breaking report Earth System
Science: A Program For Global Change in 1988. For the first time, scientist were able to
demonstrate how the many systems interact.

FOUR LAWS OF ECOLOGY

 Everything Is Connected To Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and
what affects one, affects all. Humans and other species are connected/dependent on other
species. With this in mind it becomes hard to practice anything other than compassion and
harmlessness.
 Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature, and there is no “away” to
which things can be thrown. Everything, such as wood smoke, nuclear waste, carbon emissions,
etc., must go somewhere.
 Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such
change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.” The
Creation, one can argue, has an intelligence, and to tinker with that “unintellectually” we get
global warming pollution, etc.
 There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Exploitation of nature will inevitably involve the
conversion of resources from useful to useless forms. In nature, both sides of the equation
must balance, for every gain there is a cost, and all debts are eventually paid.

 Natural hazards refers to natural processes, typically of unusual intensity, that put environments
and human life or property at risk of damage or destruction (for example, constructing buildings
in areas subject to flooding, severe storms, coastal erosion, landslides, or earthquakes).

EARTH’S SUBSYSTEM

 Sir Isaac Newton determined that the degree to which particles are drawn to each other y
gravity depends on the mass of each particle, which is commonly expressed in units of grams or
kilograms.
 The gravitational force of attraction is greater for objects that have a lager mass than for those
with a smaller mass.
 Those types of Earth materials that have greatest density have the greatest gravitational force of
attraction, and as a result they have tended to concentrate close together at and near the
center of Earth.
 Moho- The interface between the mantle and the overlying crust

Inner Core
 960 km radius
 Temperatures are estimated to be 4800 Degree Celcius at the top of the outer core,
increasing to 6900 degree Celsius at the center of the Earth.
  Solid with a very high material density of about 13 grams per cubic centimeters.
Outer core
 2400 km think band around the inner core.
 Rock matter at the top of the outer core has a density of 10 grams per cubic centimeter.
 Blocks the S waves. Thus, it is molten (consists of liquid rock matter)
Waves
 Seismic Waves – shock wave
 Seismograph- can record seismic waves from an earthquake even when an earthquake is
centered thousands of kilometres away from the seismograph.
 Crust – thin, outermost layer of the Earth; is of two different types: continental crust and
oceanic crust
 Mantle – middle layer of the earth between the crust and the core; makes up about 83% of
Earth’s interior
 Core – innermost layer of the earth; outer core is in a liquid state whereas inner core is in solid
state