WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

Earth Science, Grade 11, Quarter 1, Week 1-B

SUBSYSTEMS OF THE EARTH

Learning Competency
Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose boundaries matter and
energy flow (S11ES-Ib-4)

Specific Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:
 explain each of the subsystems of the Earth;
 describe how these subsystems interact.

Key Concepts

The planet Earth is essentially a closed system. It

receives energy from the sun and returns some of this
energy to space. It is home to a diverse range of life forms
that continuously interact with non-living components. The
earth is comprised of four subsystems. The atmosphere,
geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere are among them.
Each of these systems allows the earth to maintain its
equilibrium. A change in one system will have an impact
on others.

The Earth as a system: the processes operating on

Earth interact with one another; changes in one process, Figure 1 The Earth system. (Source:
https://www.earthonlinemedia.com)
such as volcanic activity, result in changes in another, such
as
atmospheric composition

Earth’s Subsystems

1. The atmosphere is the thin gaseous layer that envelopes the lithosphere.
 The present atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen (N), 21% oxygen (O 2), 0.9% argon,
and trace amount of other gases.
 It is an envelope of gas that keeps the planet warm and provides oxygen for breathing and
carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.
 One of the most important processes by which the heat on the Earth's surface is
redistributed is through atmospheric circulation.
 There is also a constant exchange of heat and moisture between the atmosphere and the
hydrosphere through the hydrologic cycle.
 Atmospheric gases work together to keep the global temperatures within livable limits,
shield the surface of Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and allow
living things to thrive.

2. The geosphere includes the rocks of the crust and mantle, the metallic liquid outer core, and
the solid metallic inner core.
 The Plate Tectonics is an important process shaping the surface of the Earth. The primary
driving mechanism is the Earth's internal heat, such as that in mantle convection.
 In many places, geosphere develops a layer of soil in which nutrients become available to
living organisms, and which thus provides an important ecological habitat and the basis
of many forms of life.
  The surface of the geosphere is subject to processes of erosion, weathering, and transport,
as well as to tectonic forces and volcanic activity, which result in the formation of
landforms such as mountains, hills and plateau.

3. The biosphere is the set of all life forms on Earth.

 The biosphere covers all living organisms on Earth.
 There is an estimated 20 million to 100 million different species in the world organized
into the 100 phyla that make up the five kingdoms of life forms.
 These organisms can be found in almost all parts of the geosphere. There are organisms
in the air, soil, and water on Earth.
 It covers all ecosystems—from the soil to the rainforest, from mangroves to coral reefs,
and from the plankton-rich ocean surface to the deep sea.
 For most life on Earth, the base of the food chain comprises photosynthetic organisms.
During photosynthesis, CO2 is sequestered from the atmosphere, while oxygen is released
as a by-product. The biosphere is a CO2 sink, and therefore, an important part of the
carbon cycle.

4. Hydrosphere comprises all the water on Earth.

 This is water found in the air, the soil, in glaciers, the oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams of
the world.
 About 70% of the Earth is covered with liquid water (hydrosphere) and much of it is in
the form of ocean water.
 Only 3% of Earth's water is fresh: two-thirds are in the form of ice, and the remaining
one-third is present in streams, lakes, and groundwater.
 Water is found in all three states on Earth which are gas, liquid, and solid.
 As gas, water is found as water vapor in the atmosphere.
 In liquid form, water is found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans along with mist
in the air and as dew on the surface of the ground.
 Water is found in solid form as ice and snow.

Earth’s subsystem Interaction

 Not only do the Earth systems overlap, but they are also interconnected; what affects one
can affect another. When a parcel of air in the atmosphere becomes saturated with water,
precipitation, such as rain or snow, can fall to Earth’s surface. That precipitation connects
the hydrosphere with the geosphere by promoting erosion and weathering, surface
processes that slowly break down large rocks into smaller ones. Over time, erosion and
weathering change large pieces of rocks—or even mountains—into sediments, like sand
or mud. The glaciers and ice can also be involved in erosion, as large glaciers scour bits
of rock from the bedrock beneath them. The geosphere includes all the rocks that make
up Earth, from the partially melted rock under the crust, to ancient, towering mountains,
to grains of sand on a beach.

 Both the geosphere and hydrosphere provide the habitat for the biosphere, a global
ecosystem that encompasses all the living things on Earth. The biosphere refers to the
relatively small part of Earth’s environment in which living things can survive. It
contains a wide range of organisms, including fungi, plants, and animals, that live
together as a community. Biologists and ecologists refer to this variety of life as
biodiversity. All the living things in an environment are called its biotic factors. The
biosphere also includes abiotic factors, the nonliving things that organisms require to
survive, such as water, air, and light.

 The atmosphere—a mix of gases, mostly nitrogen and oxygen along with less abundant
gases like water vapor, ozone, carbon dioxide, and argon—is also essential to life in the
biosphere. Atmospheric gases work together to keep the global temperatures within
livable limits, shield the surface of Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun,
and allow living things to thrive.
  All of Earth’s systems are deeply intertwined, but sometimes this connection can lead to
harmful, yet unintended, consequences. One specific example of interaction between all
the spheres is human fossil fuel consumption. Deposits of these fuels formed millions of
years ago, when plants and animals—all part of the biosphere—died and decayed. At that
point, their remains were compressed within Earth to form coal, oil, and natural gas, thus
becoming part of the geosphere. Now, humans—members of the biosphere—burn these
materials as fuel to release the energy they contain. The combustion by-products, such as
carbon dioxide, end up in the atmosphere. There, they contribute to global warming,
changing, and stressing the cryosphere (ice and glaciers), hydrosphere, and biosphere.

 The many interactions between Earth’s systems are complex, and they are happening
constantly, though their effects are not always obvious. There are some extremely
dramatic examples of Earth’s systems interacting, like volcanic eruptions and tsunamis,
but there are also slow, nearly undetectable changes that alter ocean chemistry, the
content of our atmosphere, and the microbial biodiversity in soil. Each part this planet,
from Earth’s inner core to the top of the atmosphere, has a role in making Earth home to
billions of lifeforms.

Activity No. 1: Earth Subsystems’ Interaction

Objective: Explain the earth’s four subsystems and their interconnection with each other.

What you need: Paper and pen

What to do: A. Complete the graphic organizer by describing each of the subsystems of the earth.
Write your answer in the boxes provided below.

A.

Figure 2 https://elsmalantic.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/entry-3-
worksheet-3/

B. Briefly write how 4 subsystems are interconnected by citing (3) specific examples.

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 Modified Scoring Rubric for Activity 1 A and B

- Content is comprehensive and accurate.

- Major points are stated clearly and are well supported.
10 - Responses are excellent, timely and address topic.
- Content is clear.
-Specific examples are used.
- Content is accurate and persuasive.
- Major points are stated.
7 - Responses are adequate and address topic.
- Content is clear.
-Specific examples are used.
- Content is not comprehensive and /or persuasive.
4 - Major points are addressed, but not well supported.
- Responses are inadequate or do not address topic.
-Specific examples do not support topic.
- Content is incomplete.
1 - Major points are not clear.
-Specific examples are not used.

Activity No. 2: Connect the Spheres

Objective: Identify how earth’s four subsystems interact.

What you need: Paper and pen

What to do: Using the illustration in Figure 3, identify how energy and mass is exchanged
among the subsystems. Use arrows to indicate the interaction among spheres (atmosphere,
biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere). Give 3 answers.

Example
1. Atmosphere and Bioshpere
(sunlight is used by plants during
photosynthesis)

Figure 3: https://d32ogoqmya1dw8.cloudfront.net/images/eslabs/climate/literal_diagram_globe_study.gif