HONR 1027 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Big Blue Marble, Negative Feedback, Dynamic Equilibrium
Document Summary
Our planet"s environment consists of complex networks of interlinked systems. We are part of the natural world, but we can also change it. System = a network of relationships among parts, elements, or components. Systems receive inputs of energy, matter, or information. Negative feedback loop = system changes and moves in one direction. Positive feedback loop = system output causes the system to change in the same way and drives to further toward one extreme or another. i. e. melting sea ice, population growth. Rare in nature but is common in natural systems altered by humans. Homeostasis when a system maintains constant internal conditions. It is hard to fully understand systems; they connect to other systems and do not have sharp. Natural systems are divided into categories boundaries: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere. Categorizing systems allows humans to understand earth"s complexity. Stratosphere: filters out harmful sun rays, allows life to exist on earth. Source of all our mineral resources (non-renewable)
