Think Globally, Act Locally - DocumentCloud
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Think Globally, Act Locally Part 2: Connections and Consequences Courtesy of TERC, www.terc.edu, Cambridge, MA, EarthLabs http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/climate/lab1.html (excerpted from)
Introduction Earth is a complex system of interacting parts. Air, water, soil, and living things make up four overlapping, interconnected "spheres": atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. The study of the processes that move energy and matter among these four spheres is called Earth system science. In the first part of this lab, you will learn more about Earth system science and the four interconnected spheres that make up the Earth system. In the second part of the lab, you will visit and observe a local study site to familiarize yourself with the components of the Earth System and ways in which they interact and influence one another. After completing this investigation, you should be able to: identify the major components of the Earth System, and give examples from your local study site • infer connections among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere by describing connections among examples at the study site • predict some ways that changes in one component of the study site might affect changes in other components •
Environmental Science integrates a variety of other Earth sciences: geology, hydrology, chemistry, botany & zoology, and meteorology. The full Earth system is made up of four overlapping, interacting "spheres". Geosphere (Lithosphere): The solid Earth (rock materials on the surface and in Earth's interior layers) and soil. In this unit, we'll be concentrating only on the pedosphere, which is the outermost soil layer. •
Hydrosphere: All of Earth's bodies of water, including groundwater. The hydrosphere also includes the cryosphere, which is made up of the world's ice sheets and sea ice. In this unit, we'll be concentrating only on liquid water. •
•
Biosphere: All living things, from microbes to humans and everything in between
Atmosphere: The blanket of gas that surrounds the entire planet and extends to the edge of space. The atmosphere includes: air, precipitation, clouds, and atmospheric aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the air). •
Geosphere – Pedosphere ©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Soils make up a thin layer, called the pedosphere that cover many of Earth's land surfaces. Although soil only accounts for about 10% of Earth's surface, it is a precious natural resource that deeply affects every other part of the ecosystem. Soils hold nutrients and water for plants and animals, filter and cleanse water, and affect the amount of water that returns to the atmosphere to form rain. The foods we eat and most of the materials we use for paper, buildings, and clothing are dependent on soils. Understanding soil helps us figure out where to build our houses, roads, buildings, and playgrounds. Important functions of soil include: Providing a nutrient-rich medium for agriculture Producing and storing gases such as carbon dioxide Storing heat and water Providing a home for billions of plants, animals, and microorganisms Filtering water and wastes Providing raw source materials for construction, medicine, art, makeup, etc. Decomposing wastes Providing a snapshot of geologic, climatic, biological, and human history Hydrosphere • • • • • • • •
Nearly three quarters of our planet is covered by water. All bodies of water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater, are part of the hydrosphere. The hydrosphere plays several very important roles in the Earth system. Water is essential for life. Many plants and animals call water their home, but all plants and animals need water to survive. People also use water every day for things like industry and transportation, recreation, and making electricity. Oceans, which contain over 97% of Earth's water, help regulate global climate by absorbing large amounts of solar energy and circulating heat from the equator toward the poles through currents. Surface ocean currents are also affected by winds in the atmosphere. Energy from the wind gets transferred to the top layers of the ocean and helps circulate ocean water. Water is constantly moving between the hydrosphere, pedosphere, and atmosphere through plant transpiration (evaporation of water from plant leaves). Biosphere The biosphere includes all living things. Life on Earth exists in even the most unexpected places including inside rocks on and below the Earth's surface, beneath oceans and polar ice, and even floating in the air. Earth's unique weather and climate make it "just right" for life. The existence of life is what sets Earth apart from other planets in our solar system. The biosphere also impacts climate. Plants use energy from the Sun to undergo photosynthesis, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and adds oxygen. Animals (and humans) breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Human activities, like burning fossil fuels or forests, also add greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. These gases can trap heat and keep it from escaping into space, thus contributing to an overall warming of the planet. Connections between the biosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere are also extremely important. All living things need water to survive. Many plants rely on soil for valuable nutrients, and in turn, people and animals rely on those plants for food.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Atmosphere The atmosphere is more than just the air we breathe. It also includes wind, clouds, and precipitation. This thin layer of gas that envelops Earth, traps heat to keep us warm, protects us from harmful radiation, drives ocean currents that distribute heat and help regulate climate, brings rain to thirsty crops, and much more. The atmosphere also includes aerosols, which are tiny particles suspended in the air. Typical examples of aerosols include the salt in sea spray, smoke from fires, smog, and dust. Aerosols can have negative impacts on human health. Changes in air quality due to increased concentrations of aerosols can worsen heart and lung diseases like asthma and bronchitis. Aerosols sometimes collect or get deposited in soil and bodies of water, which can lead to acidification and extensive ecosystem damage. The presence of aerosols in the atmosphere can also influence Earth's radiative balance and climate by scattering incoming sunlight, destroying ozone in the stratosphere, and increasing cloud formation. Each part of the Earth System is represented on multiple scales, ranging from local to global. Let's start with what's already familiar to you—your local environment. In this part of the investigation, you will visit a local study site, where you will get a chance to observe and interpret the four components of the Earth System and how they are connected to one another.
Predicting Consequences The source of some of this material is the GLOBE Web site at www.globe.gov. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. ©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
All the components of your local study site are connected. Changes to the characteristics of one component may have consequences for characteristics of other components. For example, if someone planted a tree at your local study site, the ground beneath it would be shaded, the temperature of that soil would decrease, and the soil moisture level would increase. Work with a partner or small group to make predictions about ways that a change in the characteristics of one component of your study site might affect the characteristics of other components. Be as specific as you can. Record your responses in your science notebook. Change No. 1: Rain Storm How would a change in water level affect plants and animals at the site? How might heavy precipitation affect soil moisture levels? How might the storm affect erosion? What happens to the flow of water in a stream or river during rain storms? What effects might that have on plants and animals in the water? What effects might it have on the soil at the bottom of the stream (or pond, lake, canal, or ocean)? • If rain storms are frequent and regular at the study site over a number of years, how might that affect interconnections among components? • How might long periods with large amounts of cloud cover affect vegetation? • • • •
Change No. 2: Dramatic Rise in Temperature What would happen to the components at the study site if the temperature rose dramatically for an extended period, in a prolonged heat wave? • What changes in evaporation could be expected? • How might that affect the soil? • How might it affect living things? • How might it affect the water? •
Drawing Local Connections
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Now that you've visited your local study site, you will take a closer look at how elements of each of the four main components of the Earth system interact with one another. Energy and matter are continuously transferred among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. By studying the flow of energy and matter at your local study site, you will begin to build an understanding of how the four components of the Earth system work together to create and maintain Earth's unique climate. In this lab, you will use observations from your visit to your local study site to draw interconnections on a photograph and then to make a diagram of the flow of energy and matter between components of the Earth system at your local study site. After completing this investigation, you should be able to: analyze a photograph of your local study site with respect to Earth systems; annotate interconnections among components of the Earth system on a photograph; translate your analysis of your study site into a diagram of energy and matter flow among components of the Earth system; and • interpret and evaluate diagrams of your local study site. • • •
Part A: Annotate a Photograph of Your Study Site Note: To annotate means to describe with short notes. Work with a partner or in small groups to annotate your study site photograph in the following way. Writing directly on the photograph of your study site, label the four major components of the study site system: atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. 1.
Using the list of interconnections you developed in the previous activity, write short descriptions of the interconnections among the components of the system that you can see in your photograph. Follow these guidelines: • Write down your observations. Phrases may be used in lieu of complete sentences. Use verbs and descriptive language. • Write down as many interconnections as you can think of (abiotic/biotic; sphere to sphere connections). Be as specific as you can. Write as clearly as possible. Remember that other students must be able to understand your work. • If you run out of space for your annotations, put a number next to the feature in the photograph that you're writing about, draw a small circle around the number so that it will be easy 2.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
to see, and write the annotations on a separate piece of paper. Attach the piece of paper to your photograph. • If your photograph does not show important features that you know about at the study site, you can include them in your annotations in the same way as suggested above. As you work on your photograph annotations, here are some things to consider: • Heat is one way that energy is transferred from one place to another. What happens during the day at your local study site when the Sun is shining? • Biological processes like eating, moving, and dying also help transfer energy. Do you see any of those here? Where is the energy going? • What things at this location are capable of moving from one place to another? Trees? Leaves? Soil? Rocks? Water? Some of these things might be moving really slowly, but they are still moving. Can you find anything like that? 3.
Part B: Draw a Simplified Diagram for Your Study Site The different parts of the Earth system are connected by cyclic flows of energy, water, and important chemical elements like carbon and nitrogen. Each cycle consists of reservoirs (places where energy, water, and elements are stored), fluxes (the movement of matter from one reservoir to another), and processes that change the form of energy, water, and elements. Examples: 1. 2. 3.
Reservoirs: clouds, oceans, soil, trees Fluxes: precipitation, transpiration, ocean currents, wind, river flow Processes: photosynthesis, condensation, decomposition, fire
Draw Your Diagram 1. Diagramming is a useful tool for developing an understanding of Earth as a system. Making a diagram will help you focus on the most important components, connections, and systems at your study site that may be different from other study sites. There is no one right way to make a diagram. Your style of diagramming may be very different from someone else's. What matters is that it is accurate and complete and clearly communicates your ideas. Other students must be able to understand your ideas just by looking at your diagram. 2. Start with the photograph you annotated in Part A. Work with a partner or in a small group to create a simplified, more abstract diagram of your study site, showing how energy and matter flow between components. Be aware that as you put together this simplified diagram, you will need to make decisions about what is most important to show. This means that you are making decisions about what the essential reservoirs, fluxes, and processes at your study site are. 3. On a blank sheet of paper, draw and label the four major components of the study site system (atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere).
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
4. Use arrows to represent the verbs you used in your annotated photograph. Draw one-headed arrows to indicate which direction each interaction is occurring. Show only one direction on each arrow. On the shaft of the arrow, indicate what is moving from one component to the other (such as rain moving from the atmosphere to the pedosphere). 5. Use these questions to reflect on your diagram and prepare for sharing your diagram with your classmates. What have you learned about ways that the components of a study site interact as a system that you feel confident about? • What are you having trouble understanding about the interactions among components of a study site? • What would you like to know more about? •
Share Your Diagram 1. Share your diagram with the rest of the class. As other groups present their diagrams, look for ways their diagrams are similar to or different from your group's diagram. Ask questions, and provide constructive feedback on your classmates' diagrams. What was communicated clearly? What could be improved on? 2.
As a class, make a list of the most important features that should be included in a diagram of your local study site. Consider what the people who are unfamiliar with the site would need to know to understand how the components of your study site are connected. 3.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Think Globally, Act Locally Part 2: Connections and Consequences Courtesy of TERC, www.terc.edu, Cambridge, MA, EarthLabs http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/climate/lab1.html (excerpted from)
Introduction Earth is a complex system of interacting parts. Air, water, soil, and living things make up four overlapping, interconnected "spheres": atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. The study of the processes that move energy and matter among these four spheres is called Earth system science. In the first part of this lab, you will learn more about Earth system science and the four interconnected spheres that make up the Earth system. In the second part of the lab, you will visit and observe a local study site to familiarize yourself with the components of the Earth System and ways in which they interact and influence one another. After completing this investigation, you should be able to: identify the major components of the Earth System, and give examples from your local study site • infer connections among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere by describing connections among examples at the study site • predict some ways that changes in one component of the study site might affect changes in other components •
Environmental Science integrates a variety of other Earth sciences: geology, hydrology, chemistry, botany & zoology, and meteorology. The full Earth system is made up of four overlapping, interacting "spheres". Geosphere (Lithosphere): The solid Earth (rock materials on the surface and in Earth's interior layers) and soil. In this unit, we'll be concentrating only on the pedosphere, which is the outermost soil layer. •
Hydrosphere: All of Earth's bodies of water, including groundwater. The hydrosphere also includes the cryosphere, which is made up of the world's ice sheets and sea ice. In this unit, we'll be concentrating only on liquid water. •
•
Biosphere: All living things, from microbes to humans and everything in between
Atmosphere: The blanket of gas that surrounds the entire planet and extends to the edge of space. The atmosphere includes: air, precipitation, clouds, and atmospheric aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the air). •
Geosphere – Pedosphere ©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
page 1 of 7
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Soils make up a thin layer, called the pedosphere that cover many of Earth's land surfaces. Although soil only accounts for about 10% of Earth's surface, it is a precious natural resource that deeply affects every other part of the ecosystem. Soils hold nutrients and water for plants and animals, filter and cleanse water, and affect the amount of water that returns to the atmosphere to form rain. The foods we eat and most of the materials we use for paper, buildings, and clothing are dependent on soils. Understanding soil helps us figure out where to build our houses, roads, buildings, and playgrounds. Important functions of soil include: Providing a nutrient-rich medium for agriculture Producing and storing gases such as carbon dioxide Storing heat and water Providing a home for billions of plants, animals, and microorganisms Filtering water and wastes Providing raw source materials for construction, medicine, art, makeup, etc. Decomposing wastes Providing a snapshot of geologic, climatic, biological, and human history Hydrosphere • • • • • • • •
Nearly three quarters of our planet is covered by water. All bodies of water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater, are part of the hydrosphere. The hydrosphere plays several very important roles in the Earth system. Water is essential for life. Many plants and animals call water their home, but all plants and animals need water to survive. People also use water every day for things like industry and transportation, recreation, and making electricity. Oceans, which contain over 97% of Earth's water, help regulate global climate by absorbing large amounts of solar energy and circulating heat from the equator toward the poles through currents. Surface ocean currents are also affected by winds in the atmosphere. Energy from the wind gets transferred to the top layers of the ocean and helps circulate ocean water. Water is constantly moving between the hydrosphere, pedosphere, and atmosphere through plant transpiration (evaporation of water from plant leaves). Biosphere The biosphere includes all living things. Life on Earth exists in even the most unexpected places including inside rocks on and below the Earth's surface, beneath oceans and polar ice, and even floating in the air. Earth's unique weather and climate make it "just right" for life. The existence of life is what sets Earth apart from other planets in our solar system. The biosphere also impacts climate. Plants use energy from the Sun to undergo photosynthesis, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and adds oxygen. Animals (and humans) breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Human activities, like burning fossil fuels or forests, also add greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. These gases can trap heat and keep it from escaping into space, thus contributing to an overall warming of the planet. Connections between the biosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere are also extremely important. All living things need water to survive. Many plants rely on soil for valuable nutrients, and in turn, people and animals rely on those plants for food.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
page 2 of 7
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Atmosphere The atmosphere is more than just the air we breathe. It also includes wind, clouds, and precipitation. This thin layer of gas that envelops Earth, traps heat to keep us warm, protects us from harmful radiation, drives ocean currents that distribute heat and help regulate climate, brings rain to thirsty crops, and much more. The atmosphere also includes aerosols, which are tiny particles suspended in the air. Typical examples of aerosols include the salt in sea spray, smoke from fires, smog, and dust. Aerosols can have negative impacts on human health. Changes in air quality due to increased concentrations of aerosols can worsen heart and lung diseases like asthma and bronchitis. Aerosols sometimes collect or get deposited in soil and bodies of water, which can lead to acidification and extensive ecosystem damage. The presence of aerosols in the atmosphere can also influence Earth's radiative balance and climate by scattering incoming sunlight, destroying ozone in the stratosphere, and increasing cloud formation. Each part of the Earth System is represented on multiple scales, ranging from local to global. Let's start with what's already familiar to you—your local environment. In this part of the investigation, you will visit a local study site, where you will get a chance to observe and interpret the four components of the Earth System and how they are connected to one another.
Predicting Consequences The source of some of this material is the GLOBE Web site at www.globe.gov. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. ©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
page 3 of 7
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
All the components of your local study site are connected. Changes to the characteristics of one component may have consequences for characteristics of other components. For example, if someone planted a tree at your local study site, the ground beneath it would be shaded, the temperature of that soil would decrease, and the soil moisture level would increase. Work with a partner or small group to make predictions about ways that a change in the characteristics of one component of your study site might affect the characteristics of other components. Be as specific as you can. Record your responses in your science notebook. Change No. 1: Rain Storm How would a change in water level affect plants and animals at the site? How might heavy precipitation affect soil moisture levels? How might the storm affect erosion? What happens to the flow of water in a stream or river during rain storms? What effects might that have on plants and animals in the water? What effects might it have on the soil at the bottom of the stream (or pond, lake, canal, or ocean)? • If rain storms are frequent and regular at the study site over a number of years, how might that affect interconnections among components? • How might long periods with large amounts of cloud cover affect vegetation? • • • •
Change No. 2: Dramatic Rise in Temperature What would happen to the components at the study site if the temperature rose dramatically for an extended period, in a prolonged heat wave? • What changes in evaporation could be expected? • How might that affect the soil? • How might it affect living things? • How might it affect the water? •
Drawing Local Connections
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
page 4 of 7
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
Now that you've visited your local study site, you will take a closer look at how elements of each of the four main components of the Earth system interact with one another. Energy and matter are continuously transferred among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. By studying the flow of energy and matter at your local study site, you will begin to build an understanding of how the four components of the Earth system work together to create and maintain Earth's unique climate. In this lab, you will use observations from your visit to your local study site to draw interconnections on a photograph and then to make a diagram of the flow of energy and matter between components of the Earth system at your local study site. After completing this investigation, you should be able to: analyze a photograph of your local study site with respect to Earth systems; annotate interconnections among components of the Earth system on a photograph; translate your analysis of your study site into a diagram of energy and matter flow among components of the Earth system; and • interpret and evaluate diagrams of your local study site. • • •
Part A: Annotate a Photograph of Your Study Site Note: To annotate means to describe with short notes. Work with a partner or in small groups to annotate your study site photograph in the following way. Writing directly on the photograph of your study site, label the four major components of the study site system: atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. 1.
Using the list of interconnections you developed in the previous activity, write short descriptions of the interconnections among the components of the system that you can see in your photograph. Follow these guidelines: • Write down your observations. Phrases may be used in lieu of complete sentences. Use verbs and descriptive language. • Write down as many interconnections as you can think of (abiotic/biotic; sphere to sphere connections). Be as specific as you can. Write as clearly as possible. Remember that other students must be able to understand your work. • If you run out of space for your annotations, put a number next to the feature in the photograph that you're writing about, draw a small circle around the number so that it will be easy 2.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
page 5 of 7
Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
to see, and write the annotations on a separate piece of paper. Attach the piece of paper to your photograph. • If your photograph does not show important features that you know about at the study site, you can include them in your annotations in the same way as suggested above. As you work on your photograph annotations, here are some things to consider: • Heat is one way that energy is transferred from one place to another. What happens during the day at your local study site when the Sun is shining? • Biological processes like eating, moving, and dying also help transfer energy. Do you see any of those here? Where is the energy going? • What things at this location are capable of moving from one place to another? Trees? Leaves? Soil? Rocks? Water? Some of these things might be moving really slowly, but they are still moving. Can you find anything like that? 3.
Part B: Draw a Simplified Diagram for Your Study Site The different parts of the Earth system are connected by cyclic flows of energy, water, and important chemical elements like carbon and nitrogen. Each cycle consists of reservoirs (places where energy, water, and elements are stored), fluxes (the movement of matter from one reservoir to another), and processes that change the form of energy, water, and elements. Examples: 1. 2. 3.
Reservoirs: clouds, oceans, soil, trees Fluxes: precipitation, transpiration, ocean currents, wind, river flow Processes: photosynthesis, condensation, decomposition, fire
Draw Your Diagram 1. Diagramming is a useful tool for developing an understanding of Earth as a system. Making a diagram will help you focus on the most important components, connections, and systems at your study site that may be different from other study sites. There is no one right way to make a diagram. Your style of diagramming may be very different from someone else's. What matters is that it is accurate and complete and clearly communicates your ideas. Other students must be able to understand your ideas just by looking at your diagram. 2. Start with the photograph you annotated in Part A. Work with a partner or in a small group to create a simplified, more abstract diagram of your study site, showing how energy and matter flow between components. Be aware that as you put together this simplified diagram, you will need to make decisions about what is most important to show. This means that you are making decisions about what the essential reservoirs, fluxes, and processes at your study site are. 3. On a blank sheet of paper, draw and label the four major components of the study site system (atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere).
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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Environmental Systems HS/Science Unit: 02 Lesson: 01
4. Use arrows to represent the verbs you used in your annotated photograph. Draw one-headed arrows to indicate which direction each interaction is occurring. Show only one direction on each arrow. On the shaft of the arrow, indicate what is moving from one component to the other (such as rain moving from the atmosphere to the pedosphere). 5. Use these questions to reflect on your diagram and prepare for sharing your diagram with your classmates. What have you learned about ways that the components of a study site interact as a system that you feel confident about? • What are you having trouble understanding about the interactions among components of a study site? • What would you like to know more about? •
Share Your Diagram 1. Share your diagram with the rest of the class. As other groups present their diagrams, look for ways their diagrams are similar to or different from your group's diagram. Ask questions, and provide constructive feedback on your classmates' diagrams. What was communicated clearly? What could be improved on? 2.
As a class, make a list of the most important features that should be included in a diagram of your local study site. Consider what the people who are unfamiliar with the site would need to know to understand how the components of your study site are connected. 3.
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/13
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