Earth Science

CLIMATE

CONCEPT Many people think of weather and climate as concepts that are very nearly synonymous, but this is far from the truth. Whereas weather is a term referring to the atmospheric conditions for a particular place at a particular time, climate describes the overall weather pattern of a region over an extended period. A spot […]

WEATHER

concept Though people are quite accustomed to experiencing weather—sunshine and rain, wind and storms, hot and cold, fair days and foul—most have little idea how weather originates or even really what weather is. In fact, it is a condition of the atmosphere produced by one or more of six factors: air temperature, air pressure, humidity […]

Evapotranspiration And Precipitation

Concept Evaporation, along with the less well known process of transpiration, is the means by which water enters the atmosphere in the form of moisture. In evaporation liquid water from nonliving sources, such as the soil and surface waters, is converted into a gas. This conversion is driven by the power of the Sun, whose […]

GLACIOLOGY

CONCEPT Glaciology is the study of ice and its effects. Since ice can appear on or in the earth as well as in its seas and other bodies of water and even its atmosphere, the purview of glaciologists is potentially very large. For the most part, however, glaciologists’ attention is direction toward great moving masses […]

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

CONCEPT The hydrologic cycle is the continuous circulation of water throughout Earth and between Earth’s systems. At various stages, water—which in most cases is synonymous with the hydrosphere—moves through the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the geosphere, in each case performing functions essential to the survival of the planet and its life-forms. Thus, over time, water […]

HYDROLOGY

CONCEPT Hydrology is among the principal disciplines within the larger framework of hydrologic sciences, itself a subcategory of earth sciences study. Of particular importance to hydrology is the hydrologic cycle by which water is circulated through various earth systems above and below ground. But the hydrologic cycle is only one example of the role water […]

ECOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL STRESS

CONCEPT Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environments. As such, it is subsumed into the larger subject of ecosystems, which encompasses both living and nonliving components of the environment. As a study of the biological aspect of ecosystems, ecology is properly a part of the biological sciences rather than the […]

ECOSYSTEMS

CONCEPT An ecosystem is a complete community of living organisms and the nonliving materials of their surroundings. Thus, its components include plants, animals, and microorganisms; soil, rocks, and minerals; as well as surrounding water sources and the local atmosphere. The size of ecosystems varies tremendously. An ecosystem could be an entire rain forest, covering a […]

THE NITROGEN CYCLE

CONCEPT Contrary to popular belief, the air we breathe is not primarily oxygen; by far the greatest portion of air is composed of nitrogen. A colorless, odorless gas noted for its lack of chemical reactivity— that is, its tendency not to bond with other elements—nitrogen plays a highly significant role within the earth system. Both […]

THE CARBON CYCLE

CONCEPT If a person were asked to name the element most important to sustaining life, chances are he or she would say oxygen. It is true that many living things depend on oxygen to survive, but, in fact, carbon is even more fundamental to the sustenance of life. Indeed, in a very real sense, carbon […]

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