EARTH AND ITS

SUBSYSTEMS
Using a pencil and a piece of paper, draw or illustrate the field
area. Take note of the presence of vegetation, soil cover, wildlife,
rockout-crops, and bodies of water. Think how energy and mass
are transferred in the different components of the area.
Use the following terms to complete the cycle:
- Condensation
- Precipitation
- Evaporation
- Transpiration
- Infiltration
- Surface run-off
SYSTEM
- System is a set of interconnected components that are
interacting to form a unified whole
- The earth system is essentially a closed system. It receives energy
from the sun and returns some of this energy to space.
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.
Lithosphere
- The lithosphere includes the rocks of the crust
and mantle, the metallic liquid outer core, and the
solid metallic inner core.
Biosphere
- 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 byproduct. The biosphere is a CO2 sink, and
therefore, an important part of the carbon cycle.
 Hydrosphere
- 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.
- The impact of man to the environment has become so
massive that scientists are proposing the addition of
man or the ‘anthroposphere’ to the Earth system.