Lecture 1 Flashcards
What are the four spheres of earth?
Biosphere
Geosphere
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
What external source powers the Earth?
The sun
What are the two internal sources of energy on earth?
Radioactive decay
Gravitational energy (heat still being lost from planetary formation).
What are the subsystems of the hydrosphere (reservoirs)?
oceans, lakes and rivers, groundwater
water vapor?
What are the subsystems of the atmosphere (reservoirs)?
troposphere, stratosphere, clouds
(hold gases, water vapor, aerosols)
particles?
What are the subsystems of the Geosphere (reservoirs)?
continents, seafloor, sediments, lava, soils
dust or ash particles?
What are the subsystems of the Biosphere (reservoirs)?
animals, plants, bacteria terrestrial and marine
soil?
What is a flux?
The constant exchange of energy and matter between Earth’s reservoirs is called flux
Reservoirs that donate energy or matter are called?
Sources
Reservoirs that receive energy or matter are called?
Sinks
What is an isolated system?
Matter and energy are fixed and finite
(imaginary but conceptually useful)
What is a closed system?
Energy is freely exchanged
Matter is fixed
What is an open system?
Free exchange of both energy and matter
How do we study Earth system
interactions over time?
- Short timescales: time series observations
- Long timescales: written records, oral histories
- Deep time: geological record
