Name_________________________________________
Class ___________
Earth’s Systems Webquest – Academic Earth Science
Link: http://www.agci.org/classroom/index.php
Introduction
What is the Earth System? The Eart
h system is the complex network of properties and processes--geographic, physical, chemical, and biological-that interact to shape the world in which we live. The diagram
m to the left illustrates the interconnectivity and complexity of the Earth system.
Find the Five Key Principles of Global Environment according to the AGCI Classroom.
For each principle: click on the statement and in your own words summarize one of the three supporting events
listed.
Five Key Points and Supporting events summarized:
1.
Key Point: ___________________________________________________________________
a. Event:
2. Key Point: _____________________________________________________________________
a. Event:
3. Key Point: _____________________________________________________________________
a. Event:
4. Key Point: _____________________________________________________________________
a. Event:
5. Key Point: _____________________________________________________________________
a. Event:
Part I: Atmosphere
Click on Atmosphere (left tool bar)
1. What does the atmosphere do for Earth? It projects the earth from harmful solar radiation and cosmic rays.
It keeps the earth warm enough to sustain life as we know it.
2. What altered the early Earth’s atmosphere?
Photosynthesis of organisms of the early biosphere provided oxygen for different life forms.
3. How does the atmosphere interact with the Water Cycle?
4. What do GHGs have the ability to do? They have the ability to absorb longwave radiation, warming the
Earth.
5. What are the five major layers of the atmosphere?
6. How do humans affect the atmosphere?
Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have been key in changing concentration of carbon dioxide.
7. What key events since the 18th century have had an impact on CO2 concentration?
Industrial revolution awith the burning of coal followed by the burning of oil and natural gas.
8. What has this change in CO2 done?
This change in CO2 has altered the energy balance or the balalnce of incoming solar energy and outgoing
energy radiated to space, of the Earth.
9. What is the Earth’s temperature increase since the industrial revolution? (pre-industry)?
0.8 C
10.
What does this human alteration of the atmosphere affect? Agriculture, human health,, coastal communities,
and the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the biosphere.
Part II : Biosphere
1. What is the biosphere?
The biosphere –the sphere of life
2. What is the biosphere made up of?
The biosphere is made up of biomes, or biophysical zones filled with many ecosystems
3. What life forms are included?
It includes life forms ranging in size from microscopic bacteria to the gargantuan blue whale
4. How many known species are on Earth? 1.9 million
5. How many estimated unknown species? 5 – 30 million.
6. What are (how) mass extinctions key to? Abrupt changes in both the physical and chemical factors
fundamental to life taking up to a millions of years to process.
7.What human activities have forced a change in climate since the industrial revolution?
Land use change and human activity forcing air and water quality.
Part III: Hydrosphere
1. What is the hydrosphere?
The hydrosphere is the sum of all water on Earth and the water cycle that distributes it around the planet
2. How is the hydrosphere changing?
Human contributions to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are warming the Earth's surface, increasing
evaporation of surface water. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, some places will get drier,
others more wet over the 21st century
3. What will happen to the mountain snowpack and how will it affect people near the Himalayas? Decrease
mpuntaim snpwpack, change the pattern of spring runoff from major water ways such as the Himalayws
affecting the livehoods of billions of people who depend on dnowmelt for domestic, agriculture and
industrial use.
4. How will the oceans be affected? The sea level will rise.
Part IV: Cryosphere
1.
What is the Cryosphere?
The cryosphere is the sum of frozen water around the globe.
Click on Earth’s Energy Balance: Click on the green board in the top left corner and answer the following:
2. If all at the snow melted what would happen?
3. How much of the Earth’s ice is in the Antarctica?
Go back to the Cryosphere:
4. How much has the sea-level raised since the last ice age?
5. How is Earth’s Energy balance affected changes in the cryosphere? Loss of sea ice exposes the dark ocean
surface enabling it to absorb solar radiation and warm more than it would if covered in ice.
Part V: Geosphere
1. What is the Geosphere? The geosphere is the Earth itself, the rocks, minerals, and landforms of the
surface as well as its interior.
2. How does the geosphere interact in the Earth system? (Hint: what cycles and other spheres interact
with the geosphere?)affects the atmosphere and the oceans, as well as the water cycle and the
biogeochemical cycles.
the carbon to the Earth's atmosphere as carbon dioxide
3. 3. What does the carbon cycle do for Earth’s systems: The carbon cycle is one of the key cycles linking the
geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
Refelction: For each of the five cycles: show how it interacts or connects to each of the other five cycles:
1. The Biosphere connects to
2. The Geosphere connects to
3. The Hydrosphere connect to
4. The Atmosphere connects to
5. The Cryosphere connects to