Earth Processes

Carbon sources release CO2 into the atmosphere, while carbon sinks remove CO2 from the atmosphere. More CO2 in the air causes the planet to become warmer.

Carbon source - any carbon containing molecule that is used by an organism for the synthesis of its organic molecules.

Carbon sink - a natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Extra CO2 in the atmosphere increases the greenhouse effect. This is because more thermal energy is trapped by the atmosphere, causing the planet to become warmer than it naturally would be.

Extra CO2 in the atmosphere also increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface, resulting in global warming.

I have gone swimming in the ocean, which is a carbon sink. The ocean is a carbon sink, because it is able to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The plants in the ocean take in CO2 just like plants on land and produce oxygen.

Yes, mining can help us receive more materials from the Earth, but it can also cause many issues, such as mine fires. Renewable energy sources that can be naturally replenished, while nonrenewable energy sources cannot. We are using more nonrenewable energy sources than renewable, and that is a problem.

Mining pros - extraction of raw materials, job opportunities and economic incomes.

Mining cons - mine fires, noise pollution and environmental/habitat destruction.

Renewable resources - a resource that can be used repeatedly and is replaced naturally.

Nonrenewable resources - a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a fast enough pace to keep up with consumption.

I, myself am guilty of using many nonrenewable resources such as oil and gas for my car. However, I am looking forward to changing my habits in the future.

On average, each person produces about 4.4 pounds of waste per day. People could change this in many ways, such as doing something as simple as bringing a reusable water bottle to work rather than two plastic ones.

On average, humans recycle only 1.51 pounds of waste per day. That is a whopping 2.89 pounds less of waste than one person produces every day.

We can recycle our plastic into useful things, such as buddy benches, toilet paper, or even notebooks!

When waste doesn’t get disposed of properly, it can become harmful to our environment. A lot of wildlife has been hurt or even killed because of our laziness or ignorance to pick up after ourselves. Sure, you’ve heard about the sea turtles that have been choked by straws, but have you heard about the penguins being strangled by plastic bags? The whales that have eaten plastic bottles? This marine life didn’t have to die, and still doesn’t have to.

You can make a change by doing something as simple as using reusable items, such as straws, water bottles, grocery bags, etc.

Just this year, I went on a trip to NYC. We went on the intrepid one day, and we had to walk along the water to get there. I will never forget how much trash there was floating by the shore. I felt disgusted and wanted to make a change, so I started taking a reusable water bottle to school instead of two plastic ones every morning. Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

The spheres are so closely connected that a change in one often results in a change in one or more of the other spheres.

Many birds (biosphere) fly through the air (atmosphere), while water (hydrosphere) often runs through the soil (lithosphere).

Plants (biosphere) draw water (hydrosphere) and nutrients from the soil (lithosphere) and release water vapor into the air (atmosphere).

The atmosphere and hydrosphere interact to form rain, or snow. The lithosphere and hydrosphere interact to cause erosion.

Soil (lithosphere) - water (hydrosphere) - plants (biosphere) - Oxygen (atmosphere).

Subtopic

I have witnessed erosion that has occurred in my Family’s fields, which was due to the fact that the lithosphere and hydrosphere interacted to cause the erosion.

Goldilocks conditions refer to the Earth at what seems like the perfect distance from the sun, in order to obtain oceans of liquid water for life on Earth.
An ingredient is a component part or element of something.

Big bang - initial conditions - goldilocks conditions

You bake an apple pie with pie crust, apples and sugar. These are the ingredients, the elements of an apple pie. You don’t bake an apple pie with salt and vinegar, those are not the ingredients/components of it.

Goldilocks conditions are the conditions that are just right for life on Earth. This is just like Goldilocks and the three bears. One bowl of porridge was too hot, one too cold, but one that was just right.

Conditions - the state of something with regard to its appearance, quality, or working order.

I have baked cakes many times before with my Mom and Dad, and every time we need the right ingredients to make it. We always need eggs, milk, sugar, flour, baking soda, etc. These are the ingredients of the cake. These ingredients are the things specifically needed to make the cakes.

The water cycle represents the constant movement of water on, above and below Earth’s surface. Water moves material through erosion, and also helps transport nutrients along with soil.

Evaporation - condensation - cloud formation - precipitation - runoff - groundwater - oceans

Water washes away rock/soil and moves other material through erosion. During erosion, soil and rock particles are worn away and moved somewhere else by gravity or wind, water, or ice.

Soil is very important to our environment, because it absorbs water to help plants grow in the biosphere/lithosphere, and transports nutrients in the environment.

The water cycle shows that water is in constant motion, which is shown through the water cycle processes that just keep going and going over and over. These processes won’t stop any time soon.

I have witnessed the evaporation of water from the pot of broccoli on the stove into the air while I was cooking before. I was able to see this process, because it was shown through steam.