the earth science assignment help

the earth science assignment help

Exploring the Wonders of Earth Science: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Earth Science

Research in one scientific field often leads to new concepts that have applications in others. The scientific method usually begins with observation. For example, a mountain washout may lead to discussions of erosion or slope deposits, the observation of the dip of rock layers, or a peculiar change in a roadbed. Attitudes of students will play a large role in the success of learning. Always expect the course to be worthwhile, fun, and a learning and growing experience. Treat all episodes with complete respect, relaxed but serious. If inquiring, you will find your mind receptive. A requirement of the course is to have equipment at all meetings. This is given much attention, and the most practical and lasting acquisitions can be expected.

Earth science is the branch of science dealing with the physical constitution of the Earth and its atmosphere. Since the Earth and its atmosphere are so closely related, the boundaries between these sciences are not well defined. It is more often referred to as environmental science or Earth science. This term is more appropriate since Earth scientists study interactions of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere (water), the lithosphere (land), and the biosphere (life). Analysis and testing of underlying concepts is an important part of any science.

2. The Geosphere: Rocks, Minerals, and Plate Tectonics

The geosphere is the largest of Earth’s four major spheres, but it is also the least studied. Why might that be so? Earth scientists are hampered by a lack of access. Earth is a pretty big place! The rocks and soil at the surface only represent the tiniest fraction of the geosphere. If an Earth scientist is lucky, he or she might gain information at depth through mining or drilling activities, conducted at significantly less cost than other methods that utilize modern technology, such as satellite imagery, seismography, or radiometric and magnetic surveys. Computer programs allow geoscientists to examine and interpret such data. Although ocean and land exploration involves additional expense and difficulty, new programs and tools continue to expand Earth scientists’ access to the geosphere.

The geosphere controls the life cycle of Earth. As part of the larger Earth system, the geosphere is the focus of the Earth sciences. Earth scientists include a wide variety of specialists and subdisciplines, all of whom function in concert, advancing knowledge of Earth. As our basic understanding of the geosphere improves, so do the tools needed to address concerns about population growth, water supply, mineral exploration, energy production and use, societal health and comfort, and responsible stewardship of Earth.

3. The Atmosphere: Weather and Climate

All weather on Earth is the product of the three basic facts of atmospheric physics: the angle of insolation, the revolution of the Earth around the Sun, and the radiation physics of Earth. As the planet revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, the Earth receives an adjustable level of light and heat. Daytime temperatures have everything to do with how intense the incoming solar radiation is at that latitude for that time of year. Turbocharged natural cycles accentuate the basic temperature changes for complex effects that produce the climates that we experience. The rotating planet creates forces that send crystalline, dry defects through the atmosphere of gas and moisture. Low-pressure cells can draw hairpins of cold, ice, and methane from the Arctic Circle to the United States. Lenses of clean, desert heat can bend and fold summer weather into curvatures of discomfort and searing, life-threatening heat waves in the south.

The atmosphere resists change through a marvelous system of interrelated variables. This is why weather prediction often falls short. Our atmosphere is so complex that the “butterfly effect,” in which a single flap of a butterfly’s wings can create a windstorm halfway across the planet, is something that meteorologists often consider. Weather is the day-to-day changes in the atmosphere: temperature, pressure, moisture, and wind. The atmospheric conditions that produce these changes determine climate, the larger, longer-term features of atmospheric behavior over time. The same weather conditions that produce a day that is just spectacularly comfortable are often the circulating cells that gather humidity, heat, and moisture for very uncomfortable weather conditions.

4. The Hydrosphere: Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes

Because the Earth is essentially a closed system, water continuously moves in a variety of large, highly complex systems. Rivers transport surface water from one place to another and, in the process, may accumulate sediments, pollution, and the effects of human intervention. Rising from rainwater, rivers provide an abundance of life forms; generating plants and animals living within the river’s water, on its banks, and in the dependent wetlands. Additional transport of water is managed by evaporation and the resulting development of clouds. These moisture-containing clouds hold the essential ability to produce both fresh and saltwater that is only returned to the Earth as stored in snow and ice, or ultimately as moisture stored in rivers. In this way, a continuous cycle of Earth source water is maintained.

Oceans are the largest body of water on Earth and are the ultimate repository of all water from various sources. Encompassing nearly three-fourths of the Earth’s surface, the five major oceans are recognized worldwide as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans. It is the sheer size of these immense bodies of ocean water that largely dictates Earth’s climate patterns and ultimately dominates the dynamics of human life. Water distributes its energy unevenly; consequently, the storage and distribution of this energy by the oceans directly affects the climate and weather of the entire Earth. As the primary storehouse of such heat, the oceans control much of the weather, particularly in areas of the world within 10°-20° of the equator where summer rains and hurricanes are prevalent.

5. The Biosphere: Ecosystems and Biodiversity

It must be emphasized that while the temperature is within the limits of life as we know it, with the exception of a few extremes, life could never emerge, let alone develop to the high biological levels of today. With the background of a clarifying comparison of changes in the other planets, we may consider how the Earth, and hence the biosphere, were derived from the early, purely physical structures of the planet. Starting with the inorganic planet from earlier sections – no atmosphere, no water – it is necessary to develop the conditions favoring the establishment of life before we can start discussing the biology of the planet today. The next chapter deals with the development of the environment necessary for life, known as the origin of the biosphere, while this chapter is concerned with the much longer history of life on the planet.

We always observe that the Earth is the only planet in our solar system that supports life. This is largely because of the presence of water, with some chemicals in solution, gaseous mixture in association with the water, which makes life possible. Water dissolves useful minerals, such as nitrogen compounds, and also acts as a transport medium. The temperature of water remains within life-sustaining limits, with minimal daily variation, and heat capacity, which it shares with the atmosphere, maintains the Earth’s temperature within a narrow range. The water is able to absorb large amounts of heat without becoming much warmer, and then to release it slowly.