The Earth System - CKRS

The Earth System

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Earth Systems and Interactions

What do you think? Read the three statements below and decide

whether you agree or disagree with them. Place an A in the Before column if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. After you've read this lesson, reread the statements to see if you have changed your mind.

Before

Statement

After

1. The amount of water on Earth remains constant over time.

2. Hydrogen makes up the hydrosphere.

3. Most carbon on Earth is in the atmosphere.

Key Concepts

? How do Earth systems interact in the carbon cycle?

? How do Earth systems interact in the phosphorus cycle?

Earth Systems

Your body contains many systems. These systems work together and make one big system--your body. Earth is a system, too. Like you, Earth has smaller systems that work together, or interact, and make the larger Earth system. Four of these smaller systems are the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the geosphere, and the biosphere.

The Atmosphere

The outermost Earth system is a mixture of gases and particles of matter called the atmosphere. It forms a layer around the other Earth systems. The atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Gases in the atmosphere move freely, helping transport matter and energy among Earth systems.

The Hydrosphere

Below the atmosphere is the hydrosphere, the system that contains all of Earth's water. Most of the water is on Earth's surface--in oceans, glaciers, lakes, ice sheets, and rivers. Smaller amounts of water are deep beneath Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, and in living things. Like gases in the atmosphere, water in the hydrosphere continuously moves from place to place. Many substances dissolve easily in water. These dissolved substances move with the water.

Reading Essentials

3TUDY#OACH

Make a Table Contrast the carbon cycle and the phosphorus cycle in a twocolumn table. Label one column Carbon Cycle and the other column Phosphorus Cycle. Complete the table as you read this lesson.

Reading Check 1. Identify What systems make up the larger Earth system?

The Earth System 225

Reading Check

2. Explain Why do

materials in the geosphere move slowly?

The Geosphere

The largest Earth system is the geosphere, or the solid Earth. The geosphere includes the thin layer of soil and rocks on Earth's surface and all the underlying layers of Earth. Because the geosphere is mainly solid, materials in this system move more slowly than the gases in the atmosphere or the water in the hydrosphere. As the materials move, they slowly transport energy and matter.

The Biosphere

All living organisms on Earth make up the biosphere. Because organisms live in air, water, soil, and rocks, the biosphere is within all other Earth systems. Living organisms survive using gases from the atmosphere, water from the hydrosphere, and nutrients in soil and rocks.

Interactions Among Earth Systems

Biosphere

Geosphere

Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

? The ozone layer helps protect organisms from harmful solar radiation.

? Plants use oxygen and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

? Wind causes weathering and erosion.

? Volcanic eruptions eject gas and debris into the air.

? The water cycle influences weather and climate.

? Increasing global temperatures lead to melting polar ice caps.

Hydrosphere

? All organisms need water for life functions.

? Rising sea levels change habitats.

? Water and ice cause weathering, erosion, and deposition.

? Hurricanes and tsunamis change coastal landforms.

Geosphere

? Materials in the geosphere provide nutrients for life functions.

? Organisms contribute to weathering, erosion, and fossil fuel formation.

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Interpreting Tables 3. Name What other

interactions can you name?

226 The Earth System

Interactions Among Earth Systems

Earth systems interact by exchanging matter and energy. The table above describes some of these interactions. Matter and energy often change in form as they flow between systems.

The Water Cycle

The water cycle is an example of interaction among Earth systems. It is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth's surface, as shown in the figure at the top of the next page. Water moves within the hydrosphere and into other Earth systems.

Reading Essentials

The Water Cycle

Precipitation

Condensation

Transpiration Runoff

Lake Transpiration

Evaporation Ocean

Visual Check

4. Identify What

processes in the water cycle move liquid water from Earth's surface into the atmosphere as water vapor?

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Water is not just a liquid. Sometimes it changes state and becomes solid ice or gaseous water vapor. As water flows or changes state, it moves thermal energy within the water cycle and among Earth systems.

The Rock Cycle

The rock cycle, shown below, is another type of interaction among Earth systems. It is the series of processes that change rocks from one form to another. Some processes happen deep within Earth. Others, like weathering and erosion, occur on or near Earth's surface. The atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere interact with the geosphere through weathering and erosion. For example, rain and plants can weather rocks into sediments. Wind and flowing water can erode rocks and sediment and deposit them in new places. The amount of material cycling through each system usually stays the same, but it might change state or form--either quickly or over millions of years.

The Rock Cycle

Sediments

Deposition,

compaction, cementation

Make a four-column chart book to organize your notes on Earth systems and interactions.

Water Rock Carbon Phosphorus Cycle Cycle Cycle Cycle

Weathering and erosion

Uplift

Igneous rocks

Uplift

Uplift

Extreme temperatures and pressure

Sedimentary rocks

Extreme temperatures and pressure

Metamorphic rocks

Cooling and crystallization

Magma

Melting

Visual Check

5. Name What kind of rock

is formed through extreme temperature and pressure?

Reading Essentials

The Earth System 227

Visual Check

6. Examine Which

processes add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere? Which processes remove it?

The Carbon Cycle

Some elements are so important to life that scientists study their individual cycles among Earth systems. Carbon is one of these elements. The carbon cycle is the series of processes that continuously move carbon among Earth systems.

Carbon released by volcanism

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Photosynthesis

Burning fossil fuels

Forest fires and deforestation

Absorption of

carbon dioxide by water

Cellular respiration

Decomposition

Carbon stored in fossil fuels

Reading Check 7. Describe What role does photosynthesis play in the carbon cycle?

Key Concept Check 8. Explain How do Earth systems interact in the carbon cycle?

Processes of the Carbon Cycle Trace the path of carbon in the figure above as it is released from the geosphere during a volcanic eruption. Carbon from the geosphere enters the atmosphere as the trace gas carbon dioxide (CO2). Several processes then remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight, CO2, and water and make simple sugars. As a result, carbon leaves the atmosphere and enters the biosphere. Weathering of rocks also removes carbon from the atmosphere and transports it to the hydrosphere as a dissolved material. Carbon moves from the atmosphere to the hydrosphere when atmospheric CO2 dissolves in water.

How does carbon leave the biosphere? Cellular respiration in organisms quickly returns CO2 to the atmosphere. Even more carbon enters the atmosphere and the soil when organisms die and decay. Sometimes organic matter is buried deep in the geosphere, where it can form fossil fuels.

Carbon leaves the hydrosphere and enters the geosphere when sedimentary rocks form on the ocean floor. Ocean water can warm and release dissolved CO2 directly into the atmosphere. As carbon moves through Earth systems, the total amount of carbon in the carbon cycle remains about the same.

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

228 The Earth System

Reading Essentials

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Carbon Reservoirs

Carbon Reservoirs

Carbon (billions of tons)

Form

Atmosphere Biosphere

750 3,000

CO2 gas organic molecules

Hydrosphere

Geosphere (crust and upper mantle)

Geosphere (lower mantle)

40,000 750,000

750,000+

dissolved CO2 gas minerals and rocks

minerals and rocks

Carbon Reservoirs After water, carbon is the most abundant substance in living organisms. But as you just read, carbon is not limited to the biosphere. Carbon is in reservoirs, or storage places, within all Earth systems, as shown in the table above. On Earth, most carbon is combined with other elements in compounds.

Carbon in the biosphere is stored in organisms. It does not exist as carbon atoms. It is combined with other elements in complex organic molecules, such as sugars and starches. Cells and tissues of all organisms are made of organic compounds.

In the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, carbon exists as carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Though the atmosphere is the smallest carbon reservoir, atmospheric CO2 is important. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere affects climate, as you will read later. CO2 in the hydrosphere is dissolved in water.

Most of Earth's carbon is stored in the geosphere. Carbon is combined with other elements in minerals that form rocks. Limestone contains the mineral calcite, which contains carbon. Carbon also is stored as fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil, which form underground.

Humans and the Carbon Cycle Some changes in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere occur naturally. For example, a volcanic eruption can release large amounts of CO2 into the air. But not all changes in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere occur naturally.

Human activities cause some changes in levels of atmospheric CO2. When people burn fossil fuels to generate electricity or to power vehicles, CO2 is released directly into the atmosphere. Other activities can indirectly increase levels of atmospheric CO2. For example, large tracts of forests might be cut down for agriculture or development. More CO2 remains in the atmosphere because there are fewer trees to take in CO2 during photosynthesis.

Reading Essentials

Interpreting Tables 9. Compare How does

the amount of carbon in the atmosphere compare to the amount in the biosphere?

Reading Check 10. Identify What are the two most abundant substances in living organisms?

REVIEW VOCABULARY

fossil fuels fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas that form in the Earth from plant or animal remains

The Earth System 229

Math Skills

You can use percentages to figure out many types of problems. For example, a lawn fertilizer labeled 24-2-8 contains 24 percent nitrogen, 2 percent phosphorus, and 8 percent potassium, in that order. How much phosphorus is in a 22-kg bag of fertilizer?

a. Change the percentage

of phosphorus to a decimal by moving the decimal point two places to the left.

2% = 0.02

b. Multiply the total mass of

fertilizer by the decimal. 22 kg fertilizer ? 0.02 = 0.44 kg phosphorus

11. Use Percentages

How much phosphorus is in a 10-kg bag of 20-5-10 fertilizer?

Key Concept Check 12. Explain How do Earth systems interact in the phosphorus cycle?

Greenhouse Gases CO2 is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun. These gases keep Earth from becoming too cold to support life.

When levels of CO2 in the atmosphere increase, more thermal energy is absorbed and reradiated. Earth's average surface temperature increases. This phenomenon is called global warming.

Global warming can cause coastal flooding as ice caps melt and sea level rises. These changes might cause climates around the world to change, altering habitats and harming living organisms.

The Phosphorus Cycle

Some important elements do not cycle through all Earth systems. One example is phosphorus (FAHS fuh rus). Phosphorus does not exist in the atmosphere. The phosphorus cycle is the series of processes that move phosphorus among Earth systems.

Processes of the Phosphorus Cycle The processes in the phosphorus cycle help move phosphorus through the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. Phosphorus does not exist in nature as an element. It exists as phosphates (PO4), compounds formed from phosphorus and oxygen.

The figure on the top of the next page illustrates the processes of the phosphorus cycle. Earth's phosphorus starts out in the geosphere. Rocks exposed at Earth's surface release phosphates when they weather. The phosphates either remain in the soil or dissolve and enter the hydrosphere.

Dissolved phosphate molecules move in liquid water through the water cycle. Eventually, the phosphates reach lake bottoms or the seafloor and are deposited along with sediment. The phosphorus becomes part of new sedimentary rocks that form from the deposited sediment.

Plants absorb phosphorus from soil or water. Animals take in phosphorus when they eat plants or when they eat other animals that have eaten plants. These phosphates return to the soil as part of animal waste or as part of decomposing organisms.

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

230 The Earth System

Reading Essentials

Plants

Animals

The Phosphorus Cycle

Weathering of phosphate from rocks

Animal waste

DDeceocmompposoesresrs

Phosphate in soil

Runoff

Phosphate in solution

Phosphate incorporated into sedimentary rocks

Phosphorus Reservoirs Rocks in the geosphere include minerals containing phosphates. The most common of these minerals is apatite (A puh tite). Turquoise is a mineral often used in jewelry. Turquoise is also a phosphate mineral.

The hydrosphere is another reservoir for phosphorus. As you just read, phosphates dissolve in water. Phosphorus moves through the water cycle as a dissolved substance in liquid water. However, it does not evaporate and enter the atmosphere.

Phosphorus cycles through the geosphere and the hydrosphere over long periods of time. Phosphates incorporated into sedimentary rocks on the ocean floor might not reenter the phosphorus cycle for millions of years.

In contrast, the phosphorus stored in organisms in the biosphere recycles fairly quickly. Like carbon, phosphorus is a necessary element for organisms. It is needed to make cell membranes and transfer energy. It also is an important component of teeth, bones, and shells. Animals store most of their phosphorus in these structures. Animal waste also is a major source of phosphorus.

Humans and the Phosphorus Cycle Recall that humans can disturb the carbon cycle. Humans can also disturb the phosphorus cycle. For example, plants store most of the phosphorus in rain forests. As the plants drop their leaves or die, new plant growth quickly takes up the phosphorus. Clearing the trees in rain forests disturbs the phosphorus cycle.

Visual Check 13. Evaluate How do living things affect the phosphorus cycle?

Reading Check 14. Summarize How do living organisms use the element phosphorus?

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Reading Essentials

The Earth System 231

Residential sewage and industrial runoff

Humans and the Phosphorus Cycle

Increased levels of nitrates and phosphates in rivers and ponds

Chemical runoff from fertilizers

Algal bloom

results in thick scum on water surface

Less light causes death of some photosynthesizing plants.

death of some algae

Large amounts of organic matter

Death of fish and other aquatic organisms

Aerobic decomposition (bacteria) uses up oxygen in water.

Visual Check 15. Trace the path of residential sewage.

Reading Check 16. Describe How can farming affect the phosphorus cycle?

Clearing forests also exposes soil. Heavy rains wash away the phosphorus released by decaying plants. The lack of this important element makes the soil unproductive for future crops.

Other practices also can impact the phosphorus cycle. As shown in the figure above, runoff from farms, homes, and factories can contain phosphorus. Rain can wash the phosphorus into rivers, streams, and lakes. Algae consume the phosphorus, and the algae population increases. As excess algae decompose, they use up oxygen in the water. This harms fish and other aquatic organisms.

Copyright ? Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

232 The Earth System

Reading Essentials

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