Earth Subsystem Lesson 5

Earth
Subsystem
Lesson 5
Earth Subsystem
❑The earth system is itself

an integrated system, but it
can be subdivided into four
main components, sub-
systems or spheres: the
geosphere, atmosphere,
hydrosphere and biosphere.
The Earth System
❑“Earth is a complex system of

interacting physical, chemical and
biological processes, and provides
a natural laboratory whose
experiments have been running
since the beginning of time.”
Earth System Science
❑Earth is a dynamic body with many

separate, but highly interacting
parts or spheres.
❑Earth system science studies Earth

as a system composed of numerous
parts, or subsystems.
Earth’s Four System
❑The Earth is a system consisting of
four major interacting components:
Atmosphere
❑Gaseous envelope that surrounds

the Earth and constitutes the
transition between it and the
vacuum of space.
The Earth is surrounded by a
blanket of air, which we call the
Atmosphere.
❑ The atmosphere consists of four
unique layers (the troposphere, the
stratosphere, the mesosphere, and
the thermosphere).
❑The atmosphere reaches over

560 kilometers (348 miles) up
from the surface of the Earth.
The atmosphere is primarily
composed of nitrogen (about
78%) and oxygen (about 21%).
Other components exist in small
quantities
Layers of the Atmosphere
Troposphere
Living at the surface of the Earth,

the troposphere, where all weather
occurs.
Closest layer to earth where water
vapor and carbon dioxide are
found.
Stratosphere ( Aka the Ozone Layer)
Above the troposphere lies the

stratosphere where jet airplanes fly.
Temperatures increase with altitude
because of increasing amounts of
ozone.
Absorbs UV radiation from the Sun.
Ozone layer is important for life on
Earth
Mesosphere
❑ is directly above the stratosphere

and below the thermosphere,
meteors usually burn up in this
region as they approach our planet.
❑The gases in the mesosphere are
now thick enough.
Thermosphere
▪ Its temperature changes with solar
activity.
 In its interior sublayer i.e. ionosphere the
radio waves are reflected. The boundary
between the thermosphere and the
exosphere is called Thermopause.
Extends up to 600 kilometers above the
mesosphere, aurora and satellites are
located here.
Exosphere
❑The upper layer of our
atmosphere, where atoms and
molecules escape into space, is
called the exosphere.
❑Satellites orbit earth in the
exosphere
❑Only light gases are found here.
System Interactions Hurricanes
(atmosphere) sweep across the ocean
(hydrosphere) and onto the land
(geosphere), damaging the dwellings of
people (biosphere) who live along the
coast.
Hydrosphere
is the combined mass of water
found on, under, and above the
surface of a planet, minor planet or
natural satellite.
Mostly 70% of Earth is composed of
water, 97% of Earth’s water is in the
form of oceans (salty) and the rest
is fresh water (non-salty).
Cryosphere
- is the frozen part of the
hydrosphere such as
glaciers, ice caps and
icebergs.
Water cycle
The water cycle is called the
hydrologic cycle. In the hydrologic
cycle, water from oceans, lakes,
swamps, rivers, plants, and even
you, can turn into water vapor.
Water vapor condenses into
millions of tiny droplets that
form clouds. Clouds lose their
water as rain or snow, which is
called precipitation.
Biosphere
❖The life zone of the Earth and
includes all living organisms, and
all organic matter that has not yet
decomposed.
is termed as the “zone of life”, it is
the part where life exists.
Bio = means life
 Biotic—living parts
or components
Abiotic—nonliving
parts of components
(air, water,
temperature)
The biosphere is structured into
a hierarchy known as the food
chain (all life is dependent on the
first tier – mainly the primary
producers that are capable of
photosynthesis).
Energy and mass is
transferred from one level of
the food chain to the next.
Geosphere/Lithosphere
The Geosphere/Lithosphere is the
solid Earth that includes the
continental and ocean crust as
well the various layers of Earth’s
interior.
Mineral resources are
mined from the geosphere.
System Interactions
Volcanoes erupt, sending ash and
gases into the air (atmosphere) and
sending lava and ash down onto
surrounding forests (biosphere) and
human habitations (biosphere).
End of the lesson
thank you for watching/Listening ☺ ☺ ☺
Activity Time
Activity Time 
Activity 2.1 -A: Briefly Discuss
1. How do Earth’s spheres

interact?
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2. How many parts of the Earth system can
you identify in this image? How do they
interact?

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Earth

❑The earth system is itself

❑“Earth is a complex system of

❑Earth is a dynamic body with many

❑Earth system science studies Earth

❑Gaseous envelope that surrounds

❑The atmosphere reaches over

Living at the surface of the Earth,

Above the troposphere lies the

❑ is directly above the stratosphere

1. How do Earth’s spheres

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