EOSC 116 Lecture 4: EOSC 116 Module D

• School: UBC
• Department: Earth and Ocean Sciences
• Course: EOSC 116
• Professor: Stuart Sutherland

Document Summary

Eosc 116 module d (feb. 26th) earth system science and geophysiology. Earth system science looks at our planet as the interaction of many interacting elements/systems. The biosphere (life), the hydrosphere (all earth"s water), the atmosphere, the cryosphere (ice. Isolated: no exchange of matter or energy between the glass of water and the environment/systems outside the container: difficult to find in nature, space stations or spacecraft (still need to receive supplies from earth to be maintained. Closed: there is an exchange of energy (ie. in forms of light/heat) but no exchange of matter: earth as a whole is considered closed system. No exchange of matter btwn earth and space but planet receives energy from sun and radiates heat back into space. Open: free exchange of energy and matter with external environment/systems: all of the major systems that comprise the earth are open systems that interact with other systems. Systems evolve as hierarchies that are arranged from the simple to the complex.