Introduction to Environmental Science
New Vocabulary: matter, organism, Ecology, biotic, abiotic, environment, Environmental
Science, system, closed system, open system, Lithosphere layer, Lithosphere System,
Atmosphere System, Hydrosphere System, Biosphere System, Igneous rocks, Sedimentary rocks,
Metamorphic rocks, groundwater, runoff, water table, Zone of Saturation, aquifer, artesian well,
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Ozone layer, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Ionosphere, and Exosphere
What planets are between Earth?
 Venus and Mars
Where is Earth in our Universe?
 Milky Way Galaxy
What is matter?
Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.
 Everything is composed of matter.
 Matter can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas (vapor)
 Matter consist of elements. Elements cannot be broken down into simpler parts except
by nuclear means.
 Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, and Hydrogen are the four elements responsible for about
96% of all the mass of most living things.
What is an organism?
 An organism is any living thing and it depends on the Earth Systems for survival.
What is Ecology?
 The study of the interactions among living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) parts of the
Earth. This includes the study of the Earth and the home of living organisms.
What is an environment?
 Is everything around us. It includes the natural world and the things humans produce in
the world.
What is Environmental Science?
 The study of human impact on the environment
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What is a system?
 A network of interactions among a combination of related parts into a complex whole. It
can be physical like biological and chemical cycles or abstract dealing with computers or
mathematical models.
 A system must maintain homeostasis (stable internal conditions) to work properly.
What are to two types of systems?
1.) A closed system is self-contained and isolated from outside forces.
 Example: The amount of energy the planet has
2.) An open system has material, energy, or information that interacts between the system
and external sources.
 Example: The Sun warming a wetland
What are the four Earth Systems?
1.) Lithosphere (Solid Mantle)-Lies beneath the atmosphere and the ocean. Consists of
three main areas: crust, mantle, and the core.
 Example: Lithosphere layer of the Earth refers to the crust and part of the upper
mantle. Its thickness varies from 10 to 200 km depending on the type of crust
(continental or oceanic).
2.) Hydrosphere-The endless circulation of the Earth’s waters
 Examples: The Water Cycle, glaciers, oceans, seas, rivers and lakes
3.) Atmosphere-All the gases that surround the Earth
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 Examples: Nitrogen and Oxygen
4.) Biosphere- All life forms on Earth and the environments in which sustains them.
 Example: The Arctic tundra biome contains Polar bears and Arctic fox
Lithosphere
The Lithosphere layer is made of three different types of rocks and forms the tectonic plates on
Earth.
 Rocks are the building blocks of the Earth. They form beaches, mountains, the ocean
floor, and all the other parts of the Earth's crust.
 A rock is a mixture of one or more minerals, mineraloids (they do not perfectly fit the
definition of a mineral because they lack a crystalline structure), glass, or organic matter.
 Common minerals found in rocks: quartz, feldspar, and mica.
What are the three types of rocks?
Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic
What is the differences between the three types of rocks?
1.) Igneous rocks are originally hot, fluid magma within the Earth or lava spewing onto the
Earth’s surface.
 Igneous Rocks formed from lava are called extrusive rocks.
 Examples: Basalt (most common type), Obsidian, and Pumice
 Igneous Rocks formed deep within the Earth are called intrusive rocks.
 Examples: Granite, and Pegmatite (an extremely coarse-grained that may be rich in
gemstones.)
2.) Sedimentary Rocks are made of sediments of inorganic (nonliving) or organic (carbonbased) material either naturally cemented together (cementation) or pressed together
(compaction).
 Examples: Limestone (most common) and Sandstone
 Fossils are commonly found in these types of rocks
 Erosion and weathering break up the Earth to form sediments
3.) Metamorphic Rocks are rocks that have changed from one form to another by heat, pressure,
and/or chemical processes
 Igneous to Metamorphic
 Sedimentary to Metamorphic
 Metamorphic to a different Metamorphic
The Hydrosphere
Water (H2O) is the most powerful agent of erosion on the surface and underground.
 About 70 % Earth's surfaces are covered with water.
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 97 % Ocean water
 2 % Ice caps at the Poles
 1 % Fresh water for drinking and growing food.
Water Cycle:
Water constantly moves between the atmosphere and Earth in a cycle.
1. Evaporation: Water changing from a liquid to a gas because energy causes the molecules
to move apart.
2. Condensation: Water changing from a gas to liquid because molecules cool, and they
move closer together to form clouds.
3. Precipitation: When clouds can not hold anymore water vapor it produces rain, snow,
sleet, or hail.
4. Groundwater/Runoff:
 Water soaks into the ground and becomes groundwater or runoff to the rivers and
oceans.
 Runoff: Water that does not soak into the ground or evaporates.
Affected by the amount of rain
Time rain falls
Slope of the land
Amount of vegetation.
 Vegetation tends to soak up and hold water.
Fresh water can be divided in two types: surface and groundwater
 Surface water includes runoff from rain, lakes and streams
 Groundwater is found below the surface.
 The groundwater system is similar to a river system, except instead of having
connecting channels they have connecting pores.
 Groundwater is water that soaks into the ground by the process called infiltration that
collects into pores.
 Pores are spaces between rock fragments and pieces of weathered rock
 Groundwater will keep going to lower elevations until it reaches a layer of
impermeable rock.
 This rock acts like a barrier and the water can't move down any deeper.
 The Zone of Saturation is the area beneath to surface that is saturated with
water
o The upper boundary of the Zone of Saturation is the water table
What is an aquifer?
A layer of porous rock that contains water under pressure.
 This water can reach the surface and form a natural spring
What is an artesian well?
An area of groundwater under high pressure.
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
If a well is drilled into an area like an aquifer, the water flows freely to the surface
allowing humans to use it in their homes.
The Atmosphere
The atmosphere is an envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth as a mixture of solids, liquids,
and gases
 Water in the atmosphere exist in three states of matter: water vapor (gas), ice (solid),
and water (liquid)
What are the two key atmospheric gases on Earth?
Nitrogen 78% and Oxygen 21%
 Other gases: 1% (Argon-.93%, CO2-0.03%, Water Vapor-0-4%) Traces: Neon,
Helium, Methane, Krypton, Xenon, Hydrogen, and Ozone
Atmospheric Layers
1. Troposphere
 We live in it
 Contains 75% of all the atmosphere’s gases
 Contains dust, ice, and liquid water
 Where our weather and clouds occur
2. Stratosphere
 Lies above the troposphere
 Ozone layer is located here
 Before ozone was present in the Earth’s atmosphere, much of the ultraviolet radiation
reached the Earth’s surface. When that was the case the only life that could have
survived would have been found in deep water where it was protected from UV rays
of the Sun. Without the ozone layer we and everything else would die.
 Ozone is a compound composed of three oxygen atoms bonded together in a
triangular bond.
 The ozone layer is located about 24 km above you
 What is the function of the Ozone Layer?
o It acts like a filter to absorbs most of the UV radiation from the
Sun that enters in the atmosphere
3. Mesosphere
 Above the stratosphere
 Temperature decreases since there is no concentration of ozone
 Location where meteors burn up
4. Thermosphere
 Hottest layer-more than 1000oC
 Has an important sub-layer called the Ionosphere-layer of electrically charged
particles
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 When there particles are bombarded by energy from space, ions and free
electrons are created.
 Useful for communications because they reflect radio waves.
 Radio waves from one side of the world can be received on the other side by
bouncing off the ionosphere.
 When particles of matter from the sun hit this area the ions glow in different
colors. The result is visible bands of slimming light called the Aurora
(Northern and Southern Lights)
5. Exosphere
 Uppermost part of the Earth’s atmosphere
 Gases such as helium and hydrogen are found here
 No clear boundary between the exosphere and space. Just very few
molecules and ions.
The Biosphere
The biosphere is all the parts of the Earth that support and contain life.
 Is comprised of a 20 km thickness reaching from the bottom of the ocean to the highest
mountain tops
 All organisms obtain the material they need to live from the biosphere. The biosphere
needs the other three Earth systems to survive: Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, and
Atmosphere
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