Module 2: Earth and its Subsystems
Objective:
1. This module aims to have an understanding on Earth and its subsystems –atmosphere,
hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
Earth
Earth is an inner terrestrial planet that is third
from the sun and is fifth largest among the
eight recognized planets in the Solar System.
At present, it is the only planet in the known
Universe to harbor life.
In the 16th century, the Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the
heliocentric model of the solar system. That
is the sun is at the center of the solar system,
This is in opposition of the known model
that time which is the geocentric by Claudius
Ptolemy.
Earth’s surface is traditionally subdivided into seven continental masses: Africa, Antarctica, Asia,
Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. These continents are surrounded by four
major bodies of water: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Additionally, Earth is
divided into four spheres -atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
The atmosphere
Earth is blanketed by an atmosphere that is
78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% other
gases. This atmosphere keeps the Earth to
have a liquid water, and is also essential for
many processes hat occurs on Earth.
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The atmosphere has five distinct layers that serve specific functions:
Troposphere -is the lowest layer and is where weather occurrences take place.
Stratosphere -the next layer which hones the Ozone layer that protects the living and nonliving
from harmful radiation from the Sun. It is also the layer where airplanes fly.
Mesosphere -the middle layer where meteors entering Earth is burned up.
Thermosphere -this layers deflects the charges coming from the Sun which also cause Northern
and Southern lights or the auroras.
Exosphere -the outermost layer of the atmosphere where the man-made satellites are suspended
for orbiting.
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The hydrosphere
This diagram shows the distribution of water on Earth. It clearly shows that most of Earth’s
water is saline (97%) and cannot be harbored for direct use. Only 3% is fresh water, a huge
percentage of it are frozen in icecaps and glaciers at 68.7%, ground water is 30.1%, surface water
is 0.3%, and others 0.9%. Surface water is divided into lakes (87%), swamps (11%), and rivers
(2%).
The hydrologic cycle involves the transfer of water from the oceans through the atmosphere to
the continents and back to the oceans over and beneath the land surface. The cycle includes
processes such as precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, percolation, and runoff.
These processes operate throughout the entire hydrosphere, which extends from about 15 km (9
miles) into the atmosphere to roughly 5 km (3 miles) into the crust.
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The lithosphere
Lithosphere is the solid part of the Earth which is divided into several layers: crust, mantle,
liquid outer core, and solid inner sore. There are two types of lithosphere: oceanic lithosphere
and continental lithosphere. Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust, and is slightly
denser than continental lithosphere.
The biosphere
Biosphere, relatively thin life-supporting stratum of Earth’s surface, extending from a few
kilometres into the atmosphere to the deep-sea vents of the ocean. The biosphere is a global
ecosystem composed of
living organisms (biota)
and the abiotic (nonliving)
factors from which they
derive energy and nutrients.
The biosphere is a system
that includes processes that
sustains life (water cycle,
Oxygen cycle, Nitrogen
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cycle, etc.). Plants are essential for food and the air the living things breath. Also, water is a
significant factor.Energy flow is required to maintain the structure of organisms by the formation
and splitting of phosphate bonds. Organisms are cellular in nature and always contain some sort
of enclosing membrane structure, and all have nucleic acids that store and transmit genetic
information.
Level of Organization
Reference:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth/Basic-planetary-data
https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth/The-atmosphere
https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth/The-atmosphere#ref54197
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lithosphere/
https://www.britannica.com/science/biosphere
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