Knowra Earth system science Earth system science Earth system science studies interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, including how these interacting parts change over time.
Earth system : The interacting physical, chemical, and biological components of Earth and their exchanges of energy and matter. It is the coupled whole that Earth system science investigates.
Atmosphere : The layer of gases surrounding a planet, held in place by gravity. Atmospheric composition and circulation connect climate to other Earth systems.
International Geophysical Year : A 1957–1958 international program coordinating research on Earth and its geophysical environment. Its global observations strengthened the coordinated, planetary approach later used by the field.
Global change : Long-term changes in Earth's environment, including climate, ecosystems, land use, and biogeochemical cycles. It is the broad class of planetary changes the field seeks to explain.
Physical geography : The study of Earth's physical features and processes, including landforms, climate, water, and ecosystems. Earth system science emphasizes coupling across spheres rather than a primarily geographic account.
Biogeochemical cycle : The movement and transformation of chemical elements through organisms and Earth's physical environments. Element cycles connect living systems with air, water, and rocks.
Hydrosphere : All water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, groundwater, ice, and water vapor. Water stores and transports heat and matter across the planet.
Gaia hypothesis : The proposal that interactions among organisms and their environment can help regulate Earth's conditions. It helped popularize thinking about biological and physical processes as coupled.
Anthropocene : A proposed geological epoch in which human activity is a dominant influence on Earth's systems. The concept frames human activity as a planetary force within coupled systems.
Environmental science : The interdisciplinary study of environmental processes and human effects on the environment. It often centers environmental problems, while Earth system science centers planetary interactions.
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