Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes
Water on Earth:
There is no doubt that we have a lot of water on Earth. However, the majority of this is saltwater from the oceans totaling to 96.5%. Only 2.5% of water on Earth is freshwater, and the other .9% goes to other saline water. Of the 2.5% freshwater, about 68.7% of it are in ice caps and glaciers, 30.1% is groundwater, and the rest is surface freshwater. And even in that small percentage of surface, the majority of it is ground ice and permafrost. |
Systems and Processes:
Earth is made up of many different systems and processes working together in a whole. New crust forms and sinks back down into the mantle, water cycles around Earth distributing global heat, and energy is passed from one organism to another.
Earth is made up of many different systems and processes working together in a whole. New crust forms and sinks back down into the mantle, water cycles around Earth distributing global heat, and energy is passed from one organism to another.
Water Cycle:
Also known as the hydrologic cycle, the water cycle describes how water moves around on Earth. Water is constantly changing states and location, whether it be above, on, or below ground. The driving force for this cycle is the sun. A basic explanation of this cycle:
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Above: The Water Cycle
Below: The Nitrogen Cycle |
Nitrogen Cycle:
Nitrogen is crucial for the existence for all life on Earth because it is a building block of DNA, RNA, and protein. Despite that 78% of Earth’s atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, it is not in a form that we can use. Nitrogen must undergo a process that starts with bacteria underground and go through food chain process to get to all the organisms. A basic explanation of this cycle:
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Carbon cycle:
Carbon is also a necessary component in living organisms. All things living are made up of carbon. Plants use carbon, sunlight and water to create oxygen and glucose, a process known as photosynthesis, and animals use the oxygen to create carbon, a process known as respiration. |
Rock cycle:
The earth also has a cycle of its own, known as the rock cycle. Igneous rock is formed from the cooling of magma, which by erosion is broken down then compressed to form sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock can turn into metamorphic rock though additional heat and pressure. |
Global Heat Distribution:
Air Currents: Earth is set at an angle to the sun. This causes some areas to receive more sunlight than others, therefore becoming more warm. Air currents help distribute this heat on a global scale, moving warm air from the equator to the poles, and cold air from the poles to the equator. Ari currents take on a pattern on the global scale known as the global wind patterns. These belts are what distributes heat around the world.
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Ocean Currents: Like air currents, ocean currents also distribute heat around Earth. There is a continuous loop that flows through all the major oceans. It takes about 1000 years for a certain amount of water to flow through the entire loop.
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References:
Images:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures/watercyclekids/earth-water-distribution-kids-screen.png
http://aeronomie.be/multimedia/images/research/earthsystem-creditsbristoluniversity.jpg
https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/images/nitrogencycle_sm.jpg
https://www.ucar.edu/learn/images/carboncy.gif
http://www.psd1.org/cms/lib4/WA01001055/Centricity/Domain/530/science%20corner/The%20Rock%20Cycle%20Game.jpg
Images:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures/watercyclekids/earth-water-distribution-kids-screen.png
http://aeronomie.be/multimedia/images/research/earthsystem-creditsbristoluniversity.jpg
https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/images/nitrogencycle_sm.jpg
https://www.ucar.edu/learn/images/carboncy.gif
http://www.psd1.org/cms/lib4/WA01001055/Centricity/Domain/530/science%20corner/The%20Rock%20Cycle%20Game.jpg