EARTH122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Photosynthesis, Aquifer, Eutrophication
12 May 2016
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Document Summary
System- a network of relationships among parts, elements or components that interact with and in uence one another. Energy inputs to earth"s environmental systems include solar radiation, as well as heat released by geothermal activity. Open systems- systems that receive inputs of both energy and matter and produce outputs of both. Closed systems- systems that receive inputs and produce output but not matter. Feedback loop- system"s output serves as input to that same system. Negative feedback loops- outputs that results from a system moving in one direction acts as input that moves the system in the other direction. Positive feedback loop- instead of stabilizing a system, it drives it further toward one extreme or another. An example is the process of erosion by the removal of soil and water. These feedback loops help the world be in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Homeostasis- a system that maintains constant or stable internal conditions.
