Unit 1: The Organizing Principles of Earth Science

The Earth is a system.

A REALLY HUGE ONE.

But what IS a SYSTEM?

A system is …

… a group of units so combined as to form a whole…

… and to operate in unison.

So what systems are you a part of? Brainstorm a list of a few possible examples.

Other Examples of Systems :

Which part are you?

The Digestive System:

Which part are you?

ECOSYSTEM

Which part are you?

But how is the earth a system?

The earth system consists of 4 smaller systems called

‘spheres’ that are connected to each other.

BiosphereLithosphereAtmosphereHydrosphere

Click on the image of the earth to learn more about

each of these four parts that make up the earth system!

Be able to give one example from the video of how the

biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere

affect each other.

Now that you can recognize each of the four spheres on the earth,

watch the video to begin to understand how they operate in

unison.

(Note: You will need QuickTime to be able to view this video.)

Downloaded from Teachers' Domain, http://www.teachersdomain.org. Courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Scientific Visualization Studio, Smithsonian Institution,Global Change Research Project (GCRP), National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), United States Geological Survey, National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dynamic Media Associates (DMA), New York Film and Animation Company, Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), Hughes STX Corporation. Teachers' Domain version ©2006 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. Materials Courtesy of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Scientific Visualization Studio, Smithsonian Institution, Global Change Research Project (GCRP), National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), United States Geological Survey, National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dynamic Media Associates (DMA), New York Film and Animation Company, Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), Hughes STX Corporation.Teachers' Domain Collection funded by National Science Foundation

Earth as a SystemEarth as a System

Lets go find them!Lets go find them!

Find a picture that shows all four Find a picture that shows all four spheres of the earth system. spheres of the earth system.

(Biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere)(Biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere)

Clearly label each sphere on the Clearly label each sphere on the

picture.picture.

Earth System

Graphic Organizer

Interactions