Earth's Subsystems Flashcards
the formal study of the geosphere
geodesy
_________ enters the biosphere as _________. _________ change this energy into _________ through the process of _________. Then, the energy is passed to _________ that eat the plants.
Energy, sunlight, chemical energy, photosynthesis, organisms
Made up of the parts of Earth where life exists
Biosphere
What is the basis of the hydrologic cycle?
the motion of the hydrosphere and the exchange of water between the hydrosphere and cryosphere
The hydrosphere includes _________, _________, and _________.
water that is on the surface of the planet, undergound, and in the air
Refers to the solid parts of our planet
geosphere
What are the four subsystems of the Earth?
atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere
What is the water cycle?
Water collects in clouds, falls to Earth as rain or snow, collects in bodies of water, evaporates into the atmosphere
How does matter move through the biosphere?
Nutrients pass through organisms and the environment through biogeochemical cycles.
The biosphere extends from _________, to _________, to _________.
the deepest root system of trees, to the dark environment of ocean trenches, to lush rainforest and high mountains
Earth’s weather and climate are mostly driven by _________.
energy from the Sun
_________ and _________ are also passed between organisms when they eat one another.
energy and matter
What composes the atmosphere?
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide, and trace amount of gases
It is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
Atmosphere
the total amount of water on a planet
hydrosphere
