Question 3

Two nonrenewable resources are wind and . Wind orgins just from the air motion. Although we may not see the air moving it can measure its motion by the force that it puts on objects. For example, on a windy day leaves moving or trees swaying tells that the wind is blowing. Officially, a wind vane measures the wind direction and an anemometer measures the wind speed.Another renewable resource is water, (1)water is the signature of our planet.

We are the blue planet. The planet of life.The latest discoveries in astrophysics point to water not being a natural terrestrial product but imported from the edges of our solar system.Life on Earth evolved from water, a marriage of oxygen and hydrogen to form the most recognized chemical code, H2O. 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. 80% of fruit and vegetables are made of water. Our bodies are 50 - 70% water and we lose three bucket loads every week or about 2.5 liters on average escapes our body every day. 65% is removed in urine & feces, followed by 20% secreted through our skin and 15% through our lungs.(1)

Two non renewable resources are fossil fuels and nuclear power. (2)As we see daily proof, fossil fuels make the world go round. For the past century, and especially the past 50 years, they've created vast fortunes for individuals and entire nations, powered the global economy, and provoked geopolitical tensions and sometimes wars. No news there. But did you know that current events on this petroleum-addled planet are closely linked to weird and wonderful plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago.

Many people think that fossil fuels—oil, coal, and natural gas—come from the bodies of dinosaurs that ruled the earth during the mid to late Mesozoic era, 213 to 65 million years ago. Not so. The origin of oil is still a matter of scientific controversy. However, it is generally believed that the world's great oil deposits were formed from diatoms.(2) Energy changes earth system because without energy and all the thing that we put into the earth the earth would probably be a more healthy but we couldn’t live without it. Human consumption on the gases form energy can hurt your body because they are un healthy gases being put into our earth. The overall cost of he earths energy is major pollution in the air and the benefit are that we have energy which makes our everyday lives easier.

(1) Chris Middleton 2005 by FineWaters Media, LLC FineWatershttp://waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/water-1.htm

(2) Copyright © 2008 BBGhttp://www.bbg.org/gar2/pgn/2003su_fossilfuels.html

(3) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power

Question 1

(1)The biosphere is the life zone of the Earth and includes all living organisms, including man, and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed(1)(1)The Atmosphere is the Life processes involve a vast number of chemical reactions some of which either extract or emit gases from and to the atmosphere. For example, photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide and producees oxygen whereas respiration does the opposite. Other examples of biogenic gases in the atmosphere include methane, dimethylsulfide (DMS), nitrogen, nitrous oxide, ammonia, etc.).(1)

(1)The hydrosphere: water is essential for all living organisms on Earth and has played a key role in the evolution and sustenance of life on our planet. The biosphere as we know it would not exist without liquid water (for example, consider Mars). Water is also important for transport the soluble nutrients (phosphate and nitrate) that are needed for plant growth, and for transporting the waste products of life's chemical reactions.(1)

(1)Geosphere: The geosphere and biosphere are intimately connected through soils, which consist of a mixture of air, mineral matter, organic matter, and water. In fact, one could consider soil as composed of all four spheres (atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere). Plant activity such as root growth and generation of organic acids are also important for the mechanical and chemical breakdown (weathering) of the geosphere.(1)(1)an interacton between them is chemical reactions of life (e.g., photosynthesis-respiration, carbonate precipitation, etc.)which have imparted a strong signal on the chemical composition of the atmosphere, transforming the atmosphere from reducing conditions to and oxidizing environment with free oxygen.

The biosphere is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain whereby all life is dependent upon the first tier (i.e. mainly the primary producers that are capable of photosynthesis). Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to the next with an efficiency of about 10%. All organisms are intrinsically linked to their physical environment and the relationship between an organism and its environment is the study of ecology. The biosphere can be divided into distinct ecosystems that represent the interactions between a group of organisms forming a trophic pyramid and the environment or habitat in which they live.(1)Althought all for system have their own identities they do interact with each other (2)For example, a volcanic eruption in the geosphere may cause profound direct and indirect effects on the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere(2)(2)Volcano >> geosphere >> atmosphere >> hydrosphere >> biosphereVolcanoes (an event in the geosphere) release a large amount of particulate matter into the atmosphere. These particles serve as nuclei for the formation of water droplets (hydrosphere). Rainfall (hydrosphere) often increases following an eruption, stimulating plant growth (biosphere). Particulate matter in the air (atmosphere) falls out, initially smothering plants (biosphere), but ultimately enriching the soil (geosphere) and thereby stimulating plant growth (biosphere)(2)If you need to get more complicate her is a very complex interaction of all the elements (2)volcanoes (geosphere) may emit large quantities of sulfur dioxide (atmosphere). When atmospheric sulfur dioxide combines with water (hydrosphere), sulfuric and sulfurous acid form. Rain (hydrosphere) may bring these acids to the Earth, acidifying soils (geosphere), lakes and rivers (hydrosphere). Acidic water leaches nutrients from the soil (geosphere) into the water table (hydrosphere), making the soil less fertile for plants (biosphere), and the subterranean water supply (hydrosphere) less potable for humans (biosphere). Acid rain falling on lakes and streams reduces the pH of the water (hydrosphere), which may result in a decrease in phytoplankton and zooplankton growth (biosphere). If photosynthesis is reduced, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide can build up and stimulate global warming (atmosphere) which may contribute to increased melting of glaciers (hydrosphere).(2)Society will and science interact from a personal and social perspective because it will be good for research of the one layer and global warming.Bibliography(1) http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Introduction/Biosphere.html

(2)Norm Herr. Ph.D, Copyright 2007http://www.csun.edu/science/books/sourcebook/chapters/8-organizing/files/earth-systems-interactions.html

(3)All picture fromhttp://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=valcano+interaction&btnG=Search+Images

Question 6

(1)When two plates move towards each other, they would collide. This is called a convergent plate movement. As the plates collide, some crust is destroyed due to the impact, therefore this convergent boundary is also called a destructive boundary. When a continental plate and an oceanic plate collide, subduction occurs.

The oceanic plate sinks under the continental plate as it is denser. The crust carrying the ocean melts underneath at the subduction zone due to the immense friction and high heat of the magma, which is acidic with higher silican and sulphuric content. The impact of the collision also causes cracks to form in the crust. The heat and pressure from the mantle forces the acidic magma to rise up these cracks. As the magma continues to rise up the cracks, it escapes onto the surface and solidifies, building up a volcano. Magma on the surface is now known as lava. Thus, an acid lava volcano is formed.(1)

(2)Divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. These areas can form in the middle of continents but eventually form ocean basins. Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts which produce rift valleys. If the rifting process stops, a failed rift results. Therefore, most active divergent plate boundaries exist between oceanic plates and are often called oceanic rifts(2)(3) A transform fault is a fault which runs along the boundary of a tectonic plate. The relative motion of such plates is horizontal in either sinistral or dextral direction. Typically, some vertical motion may also exist, but the principal vectors in a transform fault are oriented horizontally. Not all faults are transform faults, and not all plate boundaries are transform faults.(3)

The features of the earths tectonic plates are (3)plates at our planet’s surface move because of the intense heat in the Earth’s core that causes molten rock in the mantle layer to move. It moves in a pattern called a convection cell that forms when warm material rises, cools, and eventually sink down. As the cooled material sinks down, it is warmed and rises again.Scientists once thought that Earth’s plates just surfed on top of the mantle’s giant convection cells, but now scientists believe that plates help themselves move instead of just surfing along. Just like convection cells, plates have warmer, thinner parts that are more likely to rise, and colder, denser parts that are more likely to sink.New parts of a plate rise because they are warm and the plate is thin. As hot magma rises to the surface at spreading ridges and forms new crust, the new crust pushes the rest of a plate out of its way. This is called ridge push.Old parts of a plate are likely to sink down into the mantle at subduction zones because they are colder and thicker than the warm mantle material underneath them. This is called slab pull.(4)(1) © Team 17701 TQ'98 (Cheong Kai Lin, Ng & Viren)

(1) http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate4.htm

(2) http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html

(3) http://www.platetectonics.com/book/page_5.asp