Download Intro to Earth Sciences Overheads

Unit 1: Earth Science
Chapter 1: The Nature of Science
Section 1.1: Earth Science
Four Major Branches of Earth Science:
1) Astronomy ~ The study of objects beyond Earth’s atmosphere
2) Meteorology ~ The branch of Earth science that studies the air
that surrounds our planet.
3) Geology ~ The study of the materials that make up Earth and
the processes that form and change these materials
4) Oceanography ~ The study of the Earth’s oceans, which cover
nearly three-fourths of the planet.
Some Subsubjects of Earth Science:
Climatology, Ecology, Paleontology, Geochemistry,
Biogeochemistry, Hydrology, and Tectonics
Four Systems of the Earth:
1) Lithosphere:
The rigid outer shell of the planet and includes the crust,
uppermost part of the layer below the crust, the mantle.
There are two kinds of crust:
 Continental (made mostly of Granite)
 Oceanic (made mostly of Basalt)
Earth’s upper mantle behaves like a soft plastic. This partially
molten layer is the Asthenosphere.
2) Hydrosphere
 Contains all the water in the Earth’s system, including water
in the oceans, lakes, and rivers, and groundwater, as well as,
water locked up in ice and snow at the poles and high
mountains.
 97% of the Earth’s water exists as salt water, 3% is
Freshwater, only 0.5% is usable, the rest is locked in
glaciers and icebergs.
3) Atmosphere
 The gaseous envelope surrounding Earth.
 Composed of a mixture of gasses, the atmosphere provides
living things with oxygen and carbon dioxide. Earth’s
atmosphere is unique in the solar system.
 Earth’s Atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, The
remaining 1% includes: Water Vapour, Argon, Carbon
Dioxide and other Trace gasses.
4) Biosphere
The Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere gave the
conditions to support life. As such, the living things on the planet
compose the Biosphere.
Examples of Interactions among the Spheres:
 Volcanoes (Lithosphere) erupt, sending ash and gasses into the
air (Atmosphere) and Lava and ash down onto surrounding
forests (Biosphere) and into streams (Hydrosphere)
 Hurricanes (Atmosphere) sweep across the ocean (Hydrosphere)
and onto the land (Lithosphere), damaging the dwellings of
people (Biosphere) who live along the coast.
Unit 1: Earth Science
Chapter 2: Mapping Our World
Section 2.2: Types of Maps
Three Types of Map Projections:
1) Mercator Projections:
Maps with parallel lines of latitude and longitude that shows true
direction and correct shapes of landmasses but distorts areas
near the poles.
2) Conic Projections
Map that is highly accurate for small areas, made by projecting
points and lines from a globe onto a cone.
3) Gnomonic Projections
Map useful in plotting long-distance trips by boat or plane that is
made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a piece of
paper that touches the globe at a single point.
Topographic Maps
Detailed maps showing hills and valleys of an area
 Contour Lines ~ A line on a topographic map that connects points
of equal elevation
 Contour Intervals ~ Difference in elevation between two sideby-side contour lines on a topographic map.
 Index Contours ~ To aid in the interpretation, contour lines are
marked with numbers representing their elevation.
 Depression Contour Lines ~ Hachures (Short lines at right
angles to the contour lines) that indicate depressions, the
hachures point toward lower elevations.
Unit 1: Earth Science
Chapter 2: Mapping Our World
Section 2.3: Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing
Process of gathering data about Earth from far above the planet’s
surface.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Arrangement of electromagnetic radiation, including Radio waves,
Microwaves, Infrared Radiation, Visible Light, Ultraviolet Radiation,
X-rays, and Gamma rays
Wave Characteristics
All electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of 300,000 km/s in a
vacuum, also known as the speed of light. Each has a distinct
wavelength and they are arranged in accordance to these wavelengths.
 Gamma Rays: Highest Frequency, shortest wavelength
 Radio Waves: Lowest Frequency, longest wavelength
The wavelength, speeds, and frequencies of the electromagnetic
waves help determine how the energy is used by different satellites
to map the Earth.
LANDSAT Satellites
Information-gathering satellite that uses visible light and infrared
radiation to map Earth’s surface.
Topex/Poseidon Satellite
Data-gathering satellite that uses radar to map features on the
ocean floor.
The Global Positioning System (GPS)
Satellite-based navigation system that permits a user to pinpoint his
or her exact location on Earth.