Earth

Roughly 4.5 billion

years old
Third planet orbiting
around the sun
Only planet in our solar
system to have surface
liquid water
Home to the only known
life in the universe

Four spheres of the Earth

Earths environment is a system consisting
of four major interacting components

Biosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere

Biosphere
Regions in which life can exist.
It contains all the planet's living things.
Within the biosphere, living things form
ecological communities based on the
physical surroundings of an area.
These communities are referred to as
biomes. Deserts and grasslands are
two of the many types of biomes that
exist within the biosphere.

 It is a life-supporting global
ecosystem, where living things
depend on each other and the
environment.
It extends over the Earth's surface in
a thin layer from a few kilometers
into the atmosphere, in very cold
environments, to the deep-sea vents
of the ocean depths, in very hot
environments.

 This sphere includes all of the

microorganisms, plants, and animals of
Earth
Includes between 330 million species
of plants, animals,
and fungi
Made up of 3 parts
Atmosphere (air)
Hydrosphere
(water)
Lithosphere (rocks

Atmosphere
The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air,
which we call the atmosphere. It contains
all the air in Earth's system.
The gases that envelope and surround the
Earth make up our atmosphere.
It is primarily composed of nitrogen (about
78%) and oxygen (about 21%). Other
components like water vapour, carbon
dioxide, Ozone, etc. exist in
small quantities.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere reaches over 560
kilometers (348 miles) up from the surface
of the Earth.
Protects us from UV rays.
Balances the global temperature on the
Earth.
It consists of four unique layers (the
troposphere, the stratosphere, the
mesosphere, and the thermosphere).

Layers of the atmosphere

Troposphere
contains 80% of
all air
Stratosphere
absorbs UV rays
Mesosphere
protects Earth
from meteorites
Thermosphere:
Most meteorites
burn up here

Troposphere
The layer of air nearest to the ground.
Temperature decreases with height
because thetroposphere'sgases
absorb very little of the incoming solar
radiation.
The average temperature drops from
15C at sea level to 56.5C at 11,000 m
above sea level.
Mixing of the air molecules due to their
constant movement (winds) keeps the
composition of the gases more or less
same throughout the troposphere. An

Troposphere
Most water vapor evaporates from
the surface of the Earth and is found
in the lower troposphere.
Most of the weather occurs in the
troposphere.
Tropopause is the top of the
troposphere, which is a transition
layer between Troposphere and
Stratosphere.

Stratosphere
The layer of air above the
troposphere where temperature
increases with height.
The average temperature rises to
2.5C at 50,000 m above sea level.
Ozone is found in higher
concentrations between 20 and 30
km above the surface. Hence
sometimes this layer is referred to as

Stratosphere
Ozone absorbs radiant energy from
the sun and hence warmer
temperatures are encountered in the
stratosphere.
Stratopause is the top of the
stratosphere, which is a transition
layer between Stratosphere and
Mesosphere.

Ozone

Protects us from UV rays

Destroyed by CFCs
(chloroflurocarbons)

Mesosphere
The layer of air above the
stratosphere where temperature
decreases with height.
The average temperature decreases
to 90C at 90,000 m. This is the
coldest layer of the atmosphere.
Mesopause is the top of the
mesosphere, which is a transition
layer between Mesosphere and
Thermosphere.

Thermosphere
The layer of air above the
mesosphere. The temperatures in the
thermosphere increase with
increasing height, but there are not
many molecules in this layer.
The air becomes less and less dense
as we reach space.

Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere
contains all the water
found on our planet.
The oceans, seas, lakes,
ponds, rivers, streams,
groundwater and Earth's
frozen water.
Frozen water (snow, frozen
ponds, glaciers, sea ice,
etc.) is part of the
hydrosphere but also

Hydrosphere
Water found under the surface of our
planet includes water trapped in the soil
and groundwater.
Water found in our atmosphere includes
water vapor.
Frozen water on our planet includes ice
caps and glaciers.
Only about 3% of the fresh water on
Earth is fresh water (readily available),
and about 70% of the fresh water is

Hydrosphere
Hydrosphere extends from Earth's
surface downward several kilometers
into the lithosphere and upward about
12 kilometers into the atmosphere.
Covers about 70% of the surface of the
Earth.
The home for many plants and
animals.

Fresh Water

Fresh Water
Lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, rivers,
and streams are freshwater habitats.
It amounts to precious little water, a
small percentage of the world's water
supply.
Yet it is essential to a wide variety of life
on earth.
The distribution of fresh water is
uneven globally.

Salt water
Water of the seas
and oceans is
salty because of
the vast quantity
of mineral salts
dissolved in it.
97 percent of
Earth's water is
salty.

Lithosphere
Comprises the Earths crust and part
of the upper mantle. It includes soil,
its particles and rocks etc.

Rocks and minerals

A rock is a
heterogeneous
blend of various
grains (each grain
is a mineral)
A mineral is a
pure, natural and
inorganic
substance

Earth System Science

Earth System
Science is the
study of how the
four spheres of the
Earth system
interact continually,
each affecting the
Lets look at a couple
others.
of examples of how a
change in one
system (or sphere)
affects other Earth

System Interactions
Volcanoes (lithosphere)
erupt, sending ash and
gases into the air
(atmosphere) and sending
lava and ash down onto
surrounding forests
(biosphere) and human
habitationsLithosphere
(biosphere).

Atmosphere

Biosphere

System Interactions
Hurricanes (atmosphere)
sweep across the ocean
(hydrosphere) and onto
the land (lithosphere),
damaging the dwellings of
people (biosphere) who
live along the coast.
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere

Lithosphere

Biosphere

System Interactions
Earthquakes (lithosphere) damage
buildings which kill people
(biosphere), as well as cause fires
which release gases into the air
(atmosphere). Earthquakes in the
ocean may cause a tsunami
(hydrosphere) which can
eventually hit land and
kill both
Biosphere
animals and people (biosphere).
Lithosphere

Atmosphere

Hydrosphere

System Interactions
Humans (biosphere) built a dam out of
rock materials (lithosphere).
Water in the lake (hydrosphere) seeps
into the cliff walls behind the dam,
becoming groundwater (lithosphere), or
evaporating into the air (atmosphere).
Humans (biosphere) harness energy from
the water (hydrosphere) by having it spin
turbines (lithosphere) to produce
electricity.

Material Cycles in
Ecosystems
Matter does not come and go
Earth is a closed system to matter
So matter is constantly recycled on
Earth.
If mass, energy, and matter flowed in
only one direction, eventually all the
available mass, energy, and matter
would be used up.

Material Cycles in Ecosystems

Fortunately, mass, energy, and matter
travel through different cycles that
make them available again to living
organisms that depend on them.
Essential nutrients that are crucial to
all living organisms must be recycled
as well.

Material Cycles in Ecosystems

Living beings take up several
nutrients from their abiotic
environment and when they die they
are returned to the environment.
This cyclic movement of nutrient
material between the biotic and
abiotic environment is called
Biogeochemical Cycle.
These cycles depict the material

Material Cycles in Ecosystems

Water Cycle or Hydrologic Cycle

Rock Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Phosphorous Cycle

Water Cycle
The water cycle is the transfer of water
from the oceans to the atmosphere, then
to the land and back to the oceans.
Includes evaporation of water from the
oceans; precipitation on land;
evaporation from land; transpiration of
water by plants; and runoff from streams,
rivers, and subsurface groundwater.
There is a constant and continuous
exchange of water between air, land, sea

 Considerable part of the solar energy

incident on earth is used for the massive
evaporation of water from the oceans,
seas and other exposed water bodies
leading to cloud formation and
precipitation in the form of rainfall or
snow---the major source of fresh water
for the living beings.
Surface water run off results in part of
fresh water returning to the sea through
rivers and streams.

 Ground water is replenished by surface

accumulated water from precipitation.
Plants also absorb ground water. Then
release water through transpiration into
the atmosphere.
Thus hydrological cycle is the continuous
and balanced process of evaporation,
precipitation, transpiration and runoff of
water.

The Rock Cycle

Rock Cycle
The rock cycle consists of numerous
processes that produce rocks. Rocks are
classified as igneous, sedimentary, or
metamorphic.
These three types of rocks are involved
in a recycling process.
Internal heat from the Earth produces
igneous rocks from molten material
(magma) near the surface, such as lava
from volcanoes.
When magma crystalizes deep in the

 These new rocks weather when exposed

to air or water at the surface. Water in
cracks of rocks expands when it freezes,
breaking the rocks apart.
This physical weathering makes smaller
particles of rocks from bigger ones,
producing sediments, such as gravel,
sand, and silt, which are then
transported by water, wind, or ice
(glaciers).
Weathered materials accumulate into

 The process of creating rock by

compacting and cementing particles is
called lithification.
When heat and pressure is applied to
sedimentary rocks buried at sufficient
depths (usually tens to hundreds of
kilometers) are transformed into
metamorphic rocks.
Later, plate tectonics uplift may bring
these deeply buried rocks to the
surface, where they, too, are subjected

The Carbon Cycle

5
3
1

The carbon cycle depends on

photosynthesis and respiration
Carbon, the major ingredient of all organic
molecules, has an atmospheric reservoir and
cycles globally. Carbon also resides in fossil
fuels and sedimentary rocks, such as
limestone (CaCO3), and as dissolved carbon
compounds in the oceans.
The metabolic processes of photosynthesis
and cellular respiration are mainly
responsible for the cycling of carbon
between the biotic and abiotic worlds.

Steps
1. Photosynthesis removes CO2 from the
atmosphere and incorporates it into
organic molecules,
2. Organic molecules are passed along
the food chain by consumers.
3. Cellular respiration by producers and
consumers returns CO2 to the
atmosphere.

4. Decomposers break down the carbon

compounds in detritus; that carbon, too, is

eventually released as CO2.
On a global scale, the return of CO2 to the
atmosphere by cellular respiration closely
balances its removal by photosynthesis.
5. However, the increased burning of wood
and fossil fuels (coal and petroleum) is
raising the level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
As we know, this increase in CO2 is leading
to significant global warming.

The Nitrogen Cycle

8

plant

animal

5
3

e nitrogen cycle depends on bacteria

Nitrogen is essential to the structure and
functioning of all organisms.
It is a crucial and often limiting plant
nutrient.
Nitrogen has two abiotic reservoirs, the
atmosphere and the soil. The atmospheric
reservoir is huge; almost 80% of the
atmosphere is nitrogen gas (N2).
However, plants cannot absorb nitrogen
in the form of N2.
The process of nitrogen fixation,
performed by some bacteria, converts N2

Steps
1. Bacteria live symbiotically in the roots
of certain species of plants, supplying
their hosts with a direct source of
usable nitrogen. The largest group of
plants with this mutualistic relationship
is the legumes, a family that includes
peanuts, soybeans, and alfalfa.
2. Free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria in
soil or water convert N2 to ammonia
(NH3), which then picks up another H+
to become ammonium (NH4+).

3. After nitrogen is fixed, some of the

NH4+ is
taken up and used by plants.
4. Nitrifying bacteria in the soil also
convert some of the NH4+ to nitrate
(NO3-), which is more readily absorbed
by plants. (Nitrification)
5. Plants use the nitrogen they assimilate
to synthesize molecules such as amino
acids, which are then incorporated into
proteins.

6. When an herbivore eats a plant, it

digests the proteins into amino acids,
then uses the amino acids to build the
proteins it needs. (Assimilation)
Higher order consumers gain nitrogen
from their prey.
As nitrogen-containing waste products
are formed during protein metabolism;
Consumers excrete some nitrogen as
well as incorporate some into their body
tissues.

Mammals, such as the rabbit, excrete

nitrogen as urea, a substance that is
widely used as an agricultural fertilizer.
Organisms that are not consumed
eventually die and become detritus,
which is decomposed by bacteria and
fungi.

7. Decomposition releases NH4+ from

organic compounds back into the soil
(Ammonification), replenishing the soil
reservoir of NH4+ and, with the help of
nitrifying bacteria (step 4), NO3- is
released.
8. Under low oxygen conditions, soil
bacteria known as denitrifiers strip the
oxygen from NO3-, releasing N2 back into
the atmosphere and depleting the soil
reservoir of usable nitrogen.
(Denitrification)

The Phosphorus Cycle

6
3

2
assimilation

5
4

The phosphorus cycle depends on

the weathering of rock
Organisms require phosphorus as a
mineral component of bones and
teeth.
In contrast to the carbon cycle and
the other major biogeochemical
cycles, the phosphorus cycle does
not have an atmospheric component.
Rocks are the only source of
phosphorus for terrestrial
ecosystems; in fact, rocks that have
high phosphorus content are mined

Steps
1. The weathering (breakdown) of rock
gradually adds inorganic phosphate
to the soil.
2. Plants assimilate the dissolved
phosphate ions in the soil and build
them into organic compounds.
3. Consumers obtain phosphorus in
organic form by eating plants.
4. Phosphates are returned to the soil by
the action of decomposers on animal
waste and the remains of dead plants

5. Some phosphate drains from

terrestrial ecosystems into the sea,
where it may settle and eventually
become part of new rocks.
6. This phosphorus will not cycle back
into living organisms until geologic
processes uplift the rocks and expose
them to weathering, a process that
takes millions of years.

 Phosphates are transferred from terrestrial

to aquatic ecosystems much more rapidly
than they are replaced, the amount in
terrestrial ecosystems gradually
diminishes over time.
Furthermore, much of the soluble
phosphate released by weathering quickly
binds to soil particles, rendering it
inaccessible to plants. As a result, the
phosphate availability is often quite low.
Farmers and gardeners often use crushed