Earth Systems


Interior and Lithosphere - ~4by plate tectonics became the 
mechanism for cooling the hot interior
Atmosphere and Hydrosphere - outgassing during 
differentiation and volcanism produced the atmosphere and 
the hydrosphere
Biosphere- life zone



Greenhouse Effect

The more carbon dioxide the higher the temperature
The less carbon dioxide the lower the temperature
Without the greenhouse effect the surface of the Earth would 
be below the freezing point of water
Venus has a "runaway" greenhouse effect with an 
atmosphere of about 96% carbon dioxide

Photosynthesis



CO2 + H2O = carbohydrate + O2
for each 30 grams of carbohydrate produced ~ 100,000 
calories of heat are stored in plants
Oxygen is produced
Respiration is the reverse of this equation
Oxygen is preserved when organic matter is buried





Evolution of the Atmosphere


Oxygen accumulates because photosynthesis and respiration 
are not balanced
Oxygen in the stratosphere reacts with high energy particles to 
form Ozone (O3) which absorbs part of the ultraviolet part of 
the spectrum



Geochemical Cycles



In some respects the Earth is in a balance or steady state
the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere serve as 
reservoirs for storing Earth materials
Reservoirs are linked by transport processes which link them 
- the Flux


Geochemical Perturbances and Climate 
Change


The hydrosphere and atmosphere absorb solar energy and 
store and transfer it
Changes in one of these systems may lead to a change in 
climate
Sulfur released during eruption will absorb solar energy and 
temperatures will drop until the Sulfur is reduced

Climate change and mass extinction - ~ 250 my - sea level 
drop, ice sheet expansion and acid rain. a "super plume" 
eruption?
Meteorite Impact and the K-T boundary



Greenhouse Gasses


Global Warming could result in a temperature increase of 1 to 
3 degrees by the end of the next century
IF the ice sheets in the Antarctic and Greenland completely 
melted, sea-level would rise by about 200 feet.