L1_QTR1_EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE
OUR EARTH
Venus Earth Mars
Activity 1:All About the Planets
➢ Second Rock
It’s the second planet from the Sun and our
closest planetary neighbour. It will only take
110 days to reach Venus.
ALL ABOUT VENUS
➢ Earth-Sized
It has often named as “Earth’s Twin” because they
share a similar structure and size to Earth.
Diameter (km)
Venus Earth
12, 104 12, 756
ALL ABOUT VENUS
➢ A Day Longer Than A Year
One day on Venus last 243 Earth days and it takes 225
Earth days to go all the around the Sun.
ALL ABOUT VENUS
➢ Diverse Terrain
Venus’ solids surface is a volcanic landscape covered with
extensive plains featuring high volcanic mountains and vast
ridged plateaus.
ALL ABOUT VENUS
➢ Greenhouse Effect
The planet’s surface temperature is about 465 Celsius. It’s
the hottest planet and it’s atmosphere is made up mainly
of 96.5 % Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and sulfuric acid.
ALL ABOUT VENUS
➢ Small Planet
It’s the smallest planet, about half (53%) the size of the
Earth.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Longer Days
One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours. Mars makes
a full orbit around the Sun in 687 Earth days.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Rugged Terrain
Mars is a rocky planet. It’s solid surface has been altered
by volcanoes, impacts, winds, crustal movement and
chemical reactions.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Two Moons
Mars have two moons, Deimos and Phobos.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Rusty Planet
It is known as “Red Planet” because of iron minerals or
rust, causing the soil and atmosphere to look red.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Cold Planet
Mars's atmosphere is about 100 times thinner than Earth's.
Without a "thermal blanket," Mars can't retain any heat
energy. On average, the temperature on Mars is about
minus 60 degrees Celsius.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Bring A Spacesuit
Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon
dioxide, argon, nitrogen and small amount of water vapor
and oxygen.
ALL ABOUT MARS
➢ Third Rock
Earth orbits our Sun, a star. Earth is the third planet from
the Sun at a distance of about 93 million miles (150
million km).
ALL ABOUT OUR EARTH
➢ As The World Turns
A day on Earth is 24 hours. Earth makes a complete orbit
around the sun (a year in Earth time) in about 365 days.
ALL ABOUT OUR EARTH
➢ We're On It
Earth is a rocky planet with a solid and dynamic surface of
mountains, canyons, plains and more. Most of our planet is
covered in water.
ALL ABOUT OUR EARTH
➢ Breathe Easy
Earth's atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent
oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients—the perfect
balance to breathe and live.
ALL ABOUT OUR EARTH
The habitable zone also known as Goldilocks zone is
the not-too-hot, not-too-cold (JUST RIGHT) region
around a star where liquid water can exist on a planet’s
surface.
HABITABLE ZONE
Factors that
Not Enough of the
make a Just Right Too Much of the Factor
Factor
Planet Habitable
Temperature Low temperatures Life seems limited to At about 125oC,
(Influences how cause chemicals a protein and
quickly to react slowly, which temperature range of carbohydrate
atoms & interferes minus 15oC molecules and
molecules with the reactions to 115oC. In this genetic material (e.g.,
move) necessary for range, liquid DNA and
life. Also low water can still exist RNA) start to break
temperatures freeze under certain apart. Also,
water, making liquid conditions. high temperatures
water quickly
unavailable. evaporate water.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that make a
Situation in the Solar System
Planet Habitable
Temperature Surface: Only Earth’s surface is in this temperature
(Influences how quickly atoms & range.
molecules move) Sub-surface: The interior of the solid planets &
moons may be in this temperature range.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that
Not Enough of the
make a Just Right Too Much of the Factor
Factor
Planet Habitable
Water The chemicals a cell Water is regularly Too much water is
(Dissolves & needs for available. Life not a
transports energy & growth are can go dormant problem, as long as
chemicals within not dissolved between wet it is not so
and to or transported to the periods, but, toxic that it interferes
and from a cell) cell. eventually, water with the
needs to be chemistry of life.
available.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that make a
Situation in the Solar System
Planet Habitable
Water Surface: Only Earth’s surface has water, though Mars once
(Dissolves & transports chemicals within and had surface water and still has water ice
to and from a cell) in its polar ice caps. Saturn’s moon Titan, seems to be
covered with liquid methane.
Sub-surface: Mars & some moons have deposits of
underground ice, which might melt to produce water.
Europa, has a vast oceans beneath its outer shell if ice.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that
Not Enough of the
make a Just Right Too Much of the Factor
Factor
Planet Habitable
Atmosphere Small planets and Earth & Venus are Venus’s atmosphere
(Traps heat, moons have the right size to is 100 times
shields the insufficient gravity to hold a sufficient- thicker than Earth’s.
surface from hold an sized atmosphere. It is made
harmful atmosphere. The gas
Earth’s atmosphere is almost entirely of
radiation, and molecules
provides
about 100 greenhouse
escape to space,
chemicals needed leaving the planet miles thick. It keeps gasses, making the
for life, such as or moon without an the surface surface too
nitrogen insulating warm & protects it hot for life. The four
and carbon blanket or a protective from radiation & giant planets
dioxide.) shield. small- to medium- are completely made
sized meteorites. of gas.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that make a
Situation in the Solar System
Planet Habitable
Atmosphere Of the solid planets & moons, only Earth, Venus, & Titan
(Traps heat, shields the surface from harmful have significant atmospheres. Mars’ atmosphere is about
radiation, and provides chemicals needed for 1/100th that of Earth’s, too small for significant insulation or
life, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.) shielding.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that
Not Enough of the
make a Just Right Too Much of the Factor
Factor
Planet Habitable
Energy When there is too With a steady input Light energy is a
(Organisms use little sunlight or of either light problem if it
light or too few of the or chemical energy, makes a planet too
chemical energy chemicals that cells can run hot or if there
to run provide energy to the chemical are too many harmful
their life cells, such as iron reactions necessary rays, such
processes.) or sulfur, organisms for life. as ultraviolet. Too
die. many energy rich
chemicals is not a
problem.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that make a
Situation in the Solar System
Planet Habitable
Energy Surface: The inner planets get too much sunlight for life. The
(Organisms use light or chemical energy to outer planets get too little.
run their life processes.) Sub-surface: Most solid planets & moons have energy-rich
chemicals.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that
Not Enough of the
make a Just Right Too Much of the Factor
Factor
Planet Habitable
Nutrients Without chemicals to make All solid planets & moons Too many nutrients are
(Used to build proteins & carbohydrates, have the same general not a problem. However,
organisms cannot grow. chemical makeup, so too active a circulation
and maintain an Planets without systems to
nutrients are present. system, such as the
organism’s deliver nutrients to its
Those with a water cycle constant volcanism on
body.) organisms
(e.g., a water cycle or or volcanic activity can Jupiter’s moon, Io, or the
volcanic transport and replenish churning atmospheres of
activity) cannot support life. the chemicals required by the gas planets, interferes
Also, when nutrients are living organisms. with an organism’s ability
spread so thin that they are to get enough nutrients.
hard to obtain, such as on a
gas planet, life cannot exist.
What Makes a World Habitable?
Factors that make a
Situation in the Solar System
Planet Habitable
Nutrients Surface: Earth has a water cycle, an atmosphere, and
(Used to build and maintain an organism’s volcanoes to circulate nutrients. Venus, Titan, Io, and Mars
body.) have nutrients and ways to circulate them to organisms.
Sub-surface: Any planet or moon with sub-surface water or
molten rock can circulate and replenish nutrients for
organisms.
What Makes a World Habitable?
L2_QTR1_EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE
EARTH
SUBSYSTEMS
❑ Earth's atmosphere is a mixture of gases that
surrounds our home planet.
ATMOSPHERE
❑ This layer mostly contains a mixture of 78%
nitrogen (N2) and about 21% oxygen (O2),
Argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO2), and many
other gases are also present in much lower
amounts; each makes up less than 1% of the
atmosphere's mixture of gases.
ATMOSPHERE
Troposphere
The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high
(5 to 9 miles). This part of the atmosphere is the densest. Almost all weather is in
this region.
Stratosphere
The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to 50 kilometers
(31 miles) high. The ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the solar ultraviolet
radiation, is in this layer.
Mesosphere
The mesosphere starts just above the stratosphere and extends to 85 kilometers
(53 miles) high. Meteors burn up in this layer
(6,200 mi).
Thermosphere
The thermosphere starts just above the mesosphere and extends
to 600 kilometers (372 miles) high. Aurora and satellites occur in
this layer.
Exosphere
This is the upper limit of our atmosphere. It extends from the top of
the thermosphere up to 10,000 km (6,200 mi).
❑ It shields us from most of the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation
coming from the Sun, warms the surface of our planet by about
33° C (59° F) via the greenhouse effect, and it warms the
planet by day and cools it at night.
ATMOSPHERE
❑ The atmosphere serves as a protective shield against radiation
and cosmic rays. The sun bombards the solar system with
ultraviolet radiation, and without protection, that radiation can
cause severe damage to skin and eyes.
ATMOSPHERE
❑ Without the atmosphere, there would be no clouds or rain. In
fact, there would be no weather at all.
ATMOSPHERE
❑ The atmosphere provides protection against meteorites. Most
meteors are small and will burn up when they pass through the
Earth’s atmosphere.
ATMOSPHERE
❑ The lithosphere is the solid outermost shell of our planet. The
lithosphere includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle,
and is made up of material from both the continents and the
oceans on the Earth's surface.
LITHOSPHERE
❑ The most well-known feature associated with Earth’s
lithosphere is tectonic activity. Tectonic activity is responsible
for some of Earth's most dramatic geologic events:
earthquakes, volcanoes, orogeny (mountain-building), and
deep ocean trenches.
LITHOSPHERE
❑ The crust is made up of about 80
elements, which occur in over
2000 different compounds and
minerals. However, most of the
mass of the material in the crust is
made up of only 8 of these
elements. These are oxygen (O),
silica (Si), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe),
calcium (Ca), sodium (Na),
potassium (K) and magnesium
(Mg).
LITHOSPHERE
❑ It’s the layer of the planet Earth where life exists. It extends
from the deepest root systems of trees, to the dark
environment of ocean trenches, to lush rain forests and high
mountaintops.
BIOSPHERE
❑ A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. The
hydrosphere includes water that is on the surface of the planet,
underground, and in the air. A planet's hydrosphere can be
liquid, vapor, or ice.
HYDROSPHERE
❑ Water is a part of living cells each cell in a living organism is
made up of almost 75% water, and this allows the cell to
function normally.
HYDROSPHERE
❑ Humans use water in many ways. Drinking water is the most
obvious use, but it is also used for domestic purposes like
washing and cleaning and in industries. Water is also utilized in
generating electricity through hydropower.
HYDROSPHERE
❑ Hydrosphere provides a place for many plants and animals to
live in. Many gasses like CO2, O2, nutrients like ammonium and
nitrite(NO–2) as well as other ions are dissolved in water.
HYDROSPHERE
❑ One of water's unique characteristics is its high specific heat.
This means that water takes a long time to heat up and also a
long time to cool down. This is important in helping to regulate
temperatures on earth so that they stay within a range that is
acceptable for life to exist.
HYDROSPHERE
