Ch 1 Intro to Earth Systems Science Wednesday September 17 2014 4 08 PM Biosphere heart of all systems Geographein describe the earth s surface Geography is a method Interdependence over space and time Spatial Analysis Characteristics of a physical space it s measurement and the distribution of things within ex your room A M campus subway network phones Spatial Nature of Geography Humans spatial actors mobile access to energy technology Earth s systems environment our life source Five Spatial Themes Location Region Human Earth Relationships Movement Place 1 Location Where Specific planetary address of a location 2 Region Areas having uniform characteristics 3 Human Earth Relationships Humans Environment Humans Environment Resource exploitation Environmental Modification Environmental Pollution Urbanization Mining grazing agriculture 4 Movement Communication movement circulation migration and diffusion across Earth s surface Hurricanes Hug Ike smallpox leprosy 5 Place Each place is unique Geography synthesizes integrates to form a whole earth concept Use spatial anylysis to examine how earth s processes interact over space time Process Set of actions or mechanisms that operate in some special order Geography science is process based Physical Geography Analysis of all the interactions changes that are occurring in natural systems energy air water weather climate landforms soils animals plants microorganisms the earth human activity Scientific Method Start with a question observations measurements inductive reasoning hypothesis predictions general theory governing laws Earth Systems of Geography System any ordered interrelated set of elements objects and their attributes as distinct surrounding environment outside the system linked by flow of energy and matter Matter mass that assumes a physical shape and occupies space Energy a capacity to change the motion of or to do work on matter ex car s cooling system transportation system political system both matter energy are stored retrieved Energy is transformed from one type to the other Earth Systems energy atmosphere system water weather and climate systems river systems ecosystems Open Systems input energy and matter System storage conversion of energy matter Output energy matter boundaries may be crossed by energy and matter Inputs energy matter Open System energy material conversions energy material storage Outputs energy matter Heat lost from the open system example automobile human body most natural systems earth in terms of energy solar energy earth in terms of energy heat energy A plant leaf Closed Systems shut off from the surrounding environment so that it is self contained May be crossed by energy but NOT by matter Such systems are rarely found in nature Earth in terms of physical matter resources air water and material No significant quantities of new resources Finite physical material makes recycling efforts inevitable Hydrological Cycle There is a cycle of water on the planet but there is no input or output of water This is a closed system System Feedback System s outputs influence its own operations These outputs function as information that is returned to various points Chicken Egg Dynamics A system s feedback structure generates its dynamics The more chickens there are the more eggs The more eggs there are the more chickens Exponential growth Positive Feedback feedback info encourages increased response in system Further production stimulates the growth of the system Growth will reach a critical limit leading to instability disruption or death of organisms Chicken Road Crossing Dynamics Chickens Road Crossings The more chickens cross a road the less chickens there will be Negative Feedback Feedback info discourages response in the system Further production decreases the growth of the system Causes self regulation in a natural system Positive Feedback in High Altitude Meltponds Meltponds Solar Energy Absorption Ice Melting Increase in meltponds in the polar regions On icebergs shelves and Greenland ice sheet Meltponds are darker and reflect less sunlight Steady State Equilibrium System fluctuates around a stable average maintains same operation level ex human body weight a forest with seasonal trends Dynamic Equilibrium a changing trend over time System fluctuates around a stable average but exhibits a trend overall long term climate changes ongoing loss of barrier islands along the East Gulf shorelines Threshold landslides along the Pacific coast south of san Francisco destroyed homes property as a threshold was reached and the bluffs collapsed Metastable system jumps to a new operation Spherical Planet Earth s Dimensions the battle of the bulge cause rotation How do we locate places on earth s surface Geographic Grid latitude and longitude degree minutes second Latitude Angular distance north or south of equator 0 degrees Latitude names the angle Parallel names the line