and the threats

to biodiversity

How do we

define a

system on

Earth?

How do each

of the spheres

on Earth

interact?

What events

occur in one

sphere that

impact

another?

How does

carbon cycle

through

Earth’s

spheres?

How does

carbon cycle

between

photosynthesis

and cellular

respiration?

Slide 1.

What spheres are

interacting here?

Slide 2. What spheres are interacting here?

Slide 3. What

spheres are

interacting here?

Slide 4. What

spheres are

interacting here?

Slide 5. What

spheres are

interacting here?

Slide 6. What spheres

are interacting here?

Key questions toward solving causes and effects of ecological disturbances

1. How could each of the Earth's four spheres (hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere,

and biosphere) have contributed to the occurrence of _____________? possible sphere

causes, contributions, or amplifications to the event

Example: plate tectonics (lithosphere) and the development of an earthquake (event) that causes

a tsunami (hydrosphere).

2. What are the effects of _____________ on each of the Earth's four spheres

(hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere)? These are the event and its

impact on spheres

Example: California wildfires (event) and their impact on air quality (atmosphere).

3. What are the effects of a change(s) in one of Earth's four spheres (hydrosphere,

atmosphere, lithosphere, or biosphere) on each of the other spheres (hydrosphere,

atmosphere, lithosphere, or biosphere)? These are the sphere-to-sphere interactions

Example: Severe rain (hydrosphere) and its cause of increased erosion (lithosphere) of soil into

rivers (hydrosphere) and its impact on freshwater invertebrates (biosphere).

Slide 7. Calbuco,

a 2,000m

(6,572ft) volcano

in Chile, has

erupted twice in

the past day,

sending

emergency

services (and

photographers)

into overdrive.

The volcano

overlooks the

cities of Puerto

Montt and Puerto

Varas, which

have a combined

population of

roughly 250,000

people.

What spheres are

interacting here?

Slide 8.

Southeast

Florida's St.

Lucie Estuary in

2016 as it

received national

attention due to

beach closures on

the Fourth of

July weekend

from the massive

amounts of toxic

green slime.

What spheres are

interacting here?