Earth as a system

Question 1

Which of the following is false

a) Natural systems are thermodynamically open systems.
b) Natural systems do not exchange mass and energy with their surroundings.
c) Internally, natural systems commonly experience steady-state disequilibrium.
d) Natural systems consist of “moving parts” (smaller systems) that are constantly feeding
back off each other.

Answer 1

b) Natural systems do not exchange mass and energy with their surroundings.

Question 2

2. Three of the following are negative feedbacks. Which ones?

a) Glacier growth  greater albedo  lower temperature  more glacier growth
b) Body temperature rises  more sweat  body temperature drops
c) Bank account balance increases  more interest  bank account balance increases
d) Audio feedback (see figure below)
e) More solar radiation reaches Earth surface  temperature increase generates
more evaporation and clouds  less solar radiation reaches Earth surface
f) Glucose level increases  more insulin produced  glucose level drops

Answer 2

b, e, f

Question 3

what energy drives the internal dynamics of the Earth system

Answer 3

Two things: (a) the Sun (solar radiation), and (b) heat generated within the Earth from
radioactive decay.

Question 4

What is meant by the grey period of earth

Answer 4

No free oxygen in the atmosphere

Question 5

What is meant by the red period of earth history

Answer 5

Lifeforms evolved and started
to photosynthesize. This produced oxygen, a waste product of photosynthesis. Oxygen
reacted with fresh mineral surfaces (especially iron), generating “mass rusting” (red colour).
Once the majority of fresh mineral surfaces on Earth surface became oxidized, free oxygen
started to build up in ocean and atmosphere.

Question 6

What is meant by the white periods of earth history

Answer 6

global glaciations

Question 7

what supposed proof exists for darwinian evolution

Answer 7

fossil record (despite crucial lack of transitional forms)
DNA records (operates on assumption that animals with large amounts of the same DNA are closely related)

Question 8

Define reductionism

Answer 8

attempts to boil things down to their essence by developing laws and equations for them

Question 9

what are some of the triumphs of the reductionist approach

Answer 9

Kepler’s laws of planetary motion

aspirin (shows why it works)

Question 10

What is the systems approach

Answer 10

Seeks to understand the world by observing how systems interact with each other.

Question 11

what are 5 common traits of natural systems

Answer 11

1. Thermodynamically open
2. constant state of disequilibrium
3. feedbacks create steady state systems
4. are nested within larger scale systems made up of smaller-scale systems
5. Change over time, and have a beginning and end

Question 12

Define forward problems

Answer 12

input variables are known, results are not

Question 13

Define weight of evidence

Answer 13

Ideas and conclusions must be supported by multiple different sets of data in order to be considered valid

Question 14

What is BIF

Answer 14

Banded Iron formation

Question 15

what is considered to be one of the oldest plants that helped with oxygenating the earth

Answer 15

stromalites