The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Preface......Page 5
About the AUTHORS......Page 9
Brief Contents......Page 10
CONTENTS......Page 11
PART ONE: The Earth System: Our Place in SPACE......Page 21
1 The Earth SYSTEM......Page 23
WHAT IS EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE?......Page 24
EARTH SYSTEM RESERVOIRS......Page 32
DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS AMONG RESERVOIRS......Page 34
HOW SCIENCE WORKS: HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY......Page 40
2 Energy......Page 49
WHAT IS ENERGY?......Page 50
EXTERNAL ENERGY SOURCES......Page 53
INTERNAL ENERGY SOURCES......Page 60
EARTH’S ENERGY CYCLE......Page 61
ENERGY AND SOCIETY......Page 64
3 Matter......Page 71
EARTH’S MATERIALS......Page 72
ORGANIC MATTER......Page 77
COMPOSITION AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF EARTH......Page 79
MINERALS......Page 82
ROCKS......Page 89
REGOLITH......Page 92
HOW MATTER MOVES THROUGH THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 94
4 Space and TIME......Page 99
THE SUN: AN ORDINARY STAR......Page 100
THE SOLAR SYSTEM......Page 103
OTHER SUNS AND PLANETARY SYSTEMS......Page 114
TIME AND CHANGE......Page 119
PART TWO: The Geosphere: Earth Beneath Our Feet......Page 127
5 The Tectonic CYCLE......Page 129
PLATE TECTONICS: A UNIFYING THEORY......Page 131
PLATE MOTION AND THE DRIVING FORCE......Page 138
PLATE INTERACTIONS AND EARTH’S LANDSCAPES......Page 143
BUILDING THE CONTINENTS......Page 150
6 Earthquakes and Volcanoes......Page 161
EARTHQUAKES: WHEN ROCKS SHIFT......Page 162
EARTHQUAKE HAZARD AND RISK......Page 168
EARTHQUAKES AND EARTH’S INTERIOR......Page 174
VOLCANOES: WHEN ROCKS MELT......Page 179
VOLCANIC DISASTERS......Page 191
MAGMA UNDERGROUND......Page 194
THE TECTONIC CONNECTION: ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF MAGMAS AND VOLCANOES......Page 195
7 The Rock CYCLE......Page 203
FROM ROCK TO REGOLITH......Page 204
FROM REGOLITH TO ROCK......Page 213
NEW ROCK FROM OLD......Page 220
FROM ROCK TO MAGMA AND BACK AGAIN......Page 227
THE ROCK CYCLE, THE TECTONIC CYCLE, AND EARTH’S LANDSCAPES......Page 230
PART THREE: The Hydrosphere: Earth’s Blanket of WATER and ICE......Page 239
8 The Hydrologic CYCLE......Page 241
WATER AND THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE......Page 242
WATER ON THE GROUND......Page 246
WATER UNDER THE GROUND......Page 259
WATER AND SOCIETY......Page 265
9 The Cryosphere......Page 275
EARTH’S COVER OF SNOW AND ICE......Page 276
GLACIERS......Page 278
GLACIATION......Page 288
SEA ICE......Page 295
ICE IN THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 297
10 The World OCEAN......Page 305
OCEAN BASINS AND OCEAN WATER......Page 306
OCEAN CIRCULATION......Page 313
OCEAN WAVES......Page 319
OCEAN TIDES......Page 324
WHERE LAND AND OCEAN MEET......Page 325
CHANGING SEA LEVELS......Page 329
PART FOUR The Atmosphere: Earth’s Gaseous ENVELOPE......Page 337
11 The Atmosphere......Page 339
THE HABITABLE PLANET......Page 340
COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF OUR ATMOSPHERE......Page 343
MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE......Page 353
THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 361
12 Wind and Weather SYSTEMS......Page 367
WHY AIR MOVES......Page 368
GLOBAL AIR CIRCULATION......Page 373
REGIONAL WIND AND WEATHER SYSTEMS......Page 378
LOCAL WIND AND WEATHER SYSTEMS......Page 382
SEVERE WEATHER......Page 383
WEATHER AND THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 391
13 The Climate SYSTEM......Page 397
EARTH’S CLIMATE SYSTEM......Page 398
EVIDENCE OF CLIMATIC CHANGE......Page 399
EARTH’S PAST CLIMATES......Page 410
WHY CLIMATES CHANGE......Page 418
FEEDBACKS AND COMPLEXITY IN EARTH’S CLIMATE SYSTEM......Page 426
PART FIVE: The Biosphere: LIFE on EARTH......Page 433
14 Life, Death, and EVOLUTION......Page 435
WHAT IS LIFE? AN OVERVIEW OF BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES......Page 436
LIFE: A PLANETARY PERSPECTIVE......Page 442
EVOLUTION: THE HISTORY OF LIFE......Page 449
EXTINCTION: THE HISTORY OF DEATH......Page 460
15 Ecosystems, Biomes, and Cycles of LIFE......Page 467
ENERGY AND MATTER IN ECOSYSTEMS......Page 468
GLOBAL CYCLES OF LIFE......Page 477
BIOMES: EARTH’S MAJOR ECOSYSTEMS......Page 492
16 Populations, Communities, and CHANGE......Page 505
POPULATIONS......Page 506
COMMUNITIES......Page 510
BIODIVERSITY......Page 520
PART SIX: The Anthroposphere: HUMANS and the EARTH SYSTEM......Page 535
17 The Resource CYCLE......Page 537
RESOURCES FROM THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 538
RENEWABLE RESOURCES: SEEKING BALANCE......Page 544
LIMITS TO GROWTH......Page 555
18 Mineral and ENERGY RESOURCES......Page 559
MINERAL RESOURCES......Page 560
ENERGY RESOURCES......Page 569
19 The Changing Earth System......Page 591
UNDERSTANDING ANTHROPOGENIC CHANGE......Page 592
HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE EARTH SYSTEM......Page 595
ANTHROPOGENIC ROLE IN GLOBAL CLIMATIC CHANGE......Page 610
ANTHROPOSPHERE: HUMANS AND EARTH SYSTEM CHANGE......Page 617
Appendix A: Units and Their Conversions......Page 623
Appendix B: Tables of the Chemical Elements and Naturally Occurring Isotopes......Page 627
Appendix C: Tables of the Properties of Selected Common Minerals......Page 631
Glossary......Page 635
Credits......Page 649
Index......Page 655