Download Earth’s Systems

Biosphere – All living things (plants/animals)
Geosphere – All solid/rock
Hydrosphere – Water
Atmosphere - Gasses
Lesson 1
Vocabulary
 Biosphere: The earth’s system that contains all living
things
 Atmosphere: The mixture of gases that form a layer
around Earth
 Hydrosphere: System that contains all of Earth’s water
 Geosphere: The solid part of Earth
 Groundwater: Water that is stored in cracks and pores
beneath Earth’s surface
 Mineral: A naturally occurring inorganic solid that have
crystal structures and definite chemical structure
 Rock: A natural occurring solid composed of minerals
and other materials such as organic matter.
1. Define ‘atmosphere’
 The atmosphere is
the 5 layers of
gases surrounding
Earth.
2. Why is the atmosphere
important?
The atmosphere
makes life on
Earth possible.
3. Examine the pie chart.
 78% Nitrogen
 21% Oxygen
 1% Other trace gases
 0.93% Argon
 0.03% Carbon dioxide
4. Earth’s Atmosphere Cont.
 4. Water vapor & Carbon
Dioxide are important
gases for weather
conditions & found in
the troposphere.
TROPOSPHERE (tropo-change)
• Layer closest to Earth’s surface
• Averages 10 km in thickness
• As altitude increases temperatures
decrease. (the higher the colder)
• Greatest air pressure-very dense.
• It’s where we live, planes fly, & all
weather occurs.
• “Tropo” means change.
● Water vapor & carbon dioxide are
found here.
STRATOSPHERE
(strato-spread out)
 Some Jets can fly here.
 Weather balloons will
float up into this layer.
 Contains ozone layer
(which absorbs harmful
UV rays from the sun).
 10-50 km above Earth’s
surface.
 Cold but gets warmer as
you approach the ozone
layer.
Click: good ozone and stratosphere vid 1min
What is destroying the ozone
layer?
 Air pollutants
 CFC’s from
refrigerators, air
conditioners,
aerosol sprays, car
exhaust etc.
MESOSPHERE (meso-middle)
 Coldest layer –
It gets colder the higher
you go.
 Meteors burn up here
creating shooting stars.
 “Meso” means middle
THERMOSPHERE
(thermo-heat)
 HOTTEST layer (over
2000*C) even though
the air is thin.
 Auroras happen here
 Thick layer (400km)
 Has low air pressureits less dense.
 “Thermo” means heat.
EXOSPHERE (exo-outer)
 Satellites &




International Space
Station orbit Earth here.
Blends into cold regions
of outer space
Lowest air pressure with
very few gas molecules.
Thickest layer (up to
10,000 km)
“Exo” means outer.
The structure of Earth’s atmosphere.
#
Layer
Pressure
Temperature
Depth Notes
(km)
1
Troposphere
highest
Decreases as
altitude
increases
0-10
You live here.
99% water vapor/ carbon dioxide
75% of the gases
Weather happens here
2
Stratosphere
decreases
Increases
(0*C)
11-50
Ozone layer here
Jet planes
3
Mesosphere
decreases
Decreases,
Coldest layer
(-100*C)
51-85 Shooting stars
Coldest layer
4
Thermosphere
decreases
Increases
Very hot
(over 2000*C)
86500
Highest temperature
Thickest atmosphere
Meteors
Auroras happen here
5
Exosphere
lowest
COLD
>500
Satellites
Beyond is outer space
What does it mean????
Prefixes
Suffix
Atmo: gas
sphere: ball
Exo: outer
Thermo: heat
Strato: layer
Tropo: change
Hydrosphere
 97% Salt water (Ocean = Reservoirs)
 3% Freshwater
 79% Ice caps (Cryosphere)
 20% Groundwater
 1% Fresh Water Surface
(Rivers, Swamps, Lakes)
Geosphere – solid part of Earth
 Made up of soil, rock, and metal
 CRUST = thin brittle outer layer, found
under soil of continents/under the ocean
 Continental Crust is made up of igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks (LESS
DENSE)
 Oceanic Crust is made up of only igneous
rock (MORE DENSE)
Geosphere – Inner Layers
 MANTLE = Middle/Largest layer; made of
rock, but hotter and denser than the
crust; temperature can be so high that rocks
flow similar to melted plastic
 CORE = made of metal iron and small
amounts of nickel
 Outer core = liquid (iron/nickel)
 Inner core = solid iron
Rocks
Minerals are the building blocks
of rocks
A ROCK is a naturally occurring
solid made of minerals and
sometimes other materials such as
organic matter
3 TYPES OF ROCKS
 Igneous: Form when molten material (MAGMA) cools
and hardens. Often this magma is found deep inside
Earth’s surface.
 Sedimentary: Form when forces such as water, wind,
and ice break down rocks into small pieces called
sediment (weathering & erosion). These forces carry
and deposit the sediments over long amounts of time,
forming layers…eventually forming rocks(from
extreme pressure).
 Metamorphic: Form from extreme temperatures and
pressure from the earth…which ends up changing their
shape and size…forming new rocks. The rocks do NOT
melt…they just change size.