Introduction to Earth System Science
Earth System Science (ESS)
An integration of the different scientific fields.
It is the study of Earth as integrated system.
It seeks to understand the past, current, an future state of our planet.
This connects physical and natural sciences while incorporating humanities fields, such
as Sociology, Philosophy, and Psychology.
Led to a development of new ideas for research, as well as promoting scientific studies
to people of different backgrounds.
The more people learn about Earth, the greater the chances of adapting to the changes
that will certainly come.
Notable Scientist
Concept of Sustainability
Which is the capacity of Earth to continue to support human life without depletion of
natural resources.
Vladimir Vernadsky
A Russian mineralogist and geochemist, who popularized the term
noosphere or the sphere of human consciousness and reason. Is the last of many
stages in evolution of organisms. This is when human reason will provide further
sustainable development of both humanity and the global environment.
Alexander von Humboldt
A 19th-century German geographer and naturalist, who helped establish the foundation
for Earth system science through his observations of nature.
Studied the transfer of heat around Earth through ocean currents influences greatly
affect type of organisms living in certain areas.
He traveled to America and collected botanical, zoological, and geological specimens.
He successfully determined how distribution of life forms are affected by atmospheric
and geophysical factors.
James Hutton
The father of modern geology, was a Scottish farmer and naturalist.
Process of Weathering
wherein rock and soil are transformed through exposure to Earth's atmosphere.
He described how Earth was formed in a repeated cycle of erosion and sedimentation
driven by heat from volcanic activities.
Concept of Uniformitarianism
, implying that the geological forces (such as those that trigger erosion and volcanic
activities) in the past are the same as those in the present, making it possible to
determine Earth's history by studying rocks.
James Lovelock
A British environmentalist.
Gaia hypothesis or Gaia Principle
which is a postulate that Earth works as a self-regulating system.
It proposes that all organisms and their habitats on Earth are closely integrated to form
a single and self-regulating system, where its components co-evolve to maintain and
perpetuate life forms.
He cited that this was evident in photosynthetic cyanobacteria during the Precambrian
period that modified Earth's atmosphere to become oxygen-enriched.
This change in the atmosphere then supported the evolution of more complex
organisms.
Lynn Margulis
An American biologist and evolutionary theorist
Developed Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis
Margulis noticed that all kinds of bacteria release gases as by products and
hypothesized that atmospheric gases were from biological sources.
She collaborate with Lovelock and published a paper on how life regulates the
temperature and chemical composition of the soil and the atmosphere.
This led into more widely accepted version stating that life influences planetary
processes
NASA Involvement
1993
The NASA formed Earth System Science Committee.
They began to study the components of Earth's systems, their linkages, dependencies,
and fluxes.
Their scientists aim to understand Earth's system by using satellites for long-term
observation.
Relevance to Society
Understanding how Earth behave and change over time could help human how to
properly adapt for survival.
The information provided by the scientists were useful in guiding policy makers to
construct and implement rule to hinder adverse effects of climate change.
Earth System Science (ESS)
An integration of the different scientific fields.
It is the study of Earth as integrated system.
It seeks to understand the past, current, an future state of our planet.
This connects physical and natural sciences while incorporating humanities fields, such
as Sociology, Philosophy, and Psychology.
Led to a development of new ideas for research, as well as promoting scientific studies
to people of different backgrounds.
The more people learn about Earth, the greater the chances of adapting to the changes
that will certainly come.
Notable Scientist
Concept of Sustainability
Which is the capacity of Earth to continue to support human life without depletion of
natural resources.
Vladimir Vernadsky
A Russian mineralogist and geochemist, who popularized the term
noosphere or the sphere of human consciousness and reason. Is the last of many
stages in evolution of organisms. This is when human reason will provide further
sustainable development of both humanity and the global environment.
Alexander von Humboldt
A 19th-century German geographer and naturalist, who helped establish the foundation
for Earth system science through his observations of nature.
Studied the transfer of heat around Earth through ocean currents influences greatly
affect type of organisms living in certain areas.
He traveled to America and collected botanical, zoological, and geological specimens.
He successfully determined how distribution of life forms are affected by atmospheric
and geophysical factors.
James Hutton
The father of modern geology, was a Scottish farmer and naturalist.
Process of Weathering
wherein rock and soil are transformed through exposure to Earth's atmosphere.
He described how Earth was formed in a repeated cycle of erosion and sedimentation
driven by heat from volcanic activities.
Concept of Uniformitarianism
, implying that the geological forces (such as those that trigger erosion and volcanic
activities) in the past are the same as those in the present, making it possible to
determine Earth's history by studying rocks.
James Lovelock
A British environmentalist.
Gaia hypothesis or Gaia Principle
which is a postulate that Earth works as a self-regulating system.
It proposes that all organisms and their habitats on Earth are closely integrated to form
a single and self-regulating system, where its components co-evolve to maintain and
perpetuate life forms.
He cited that this was evident in photosynthetic cyanobacteria during the Precambrian
period that modified Earth's atmosphere to become oxygen-enriched.
This change in the atmosphere then supported the evolution of more complex
organisms.
Lynn Margulis
An American biologist and evolutionary theorist
Developed Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis
Margulis noticed that all kinds of bacteria release gases as by products and
hypothesized that atmospheric gases were from biological sources.
She collaborate with Lovelock and published a paper on how life regulates the
temperature and chemical composition of the soil and the atmosphere.
This led into more widely accepted version stating that life influences planetary
processes
NASA Involvement
1993
The NASA formed Earth System Science Committee.
They began to study the components of Earth's systems, their linkages, dependencies,
and fluxes.
Their scientists aim to understand Earth's system by using satellites for long-term
observation.
Relevance to Society
Understanding how Earth behave and change over time could help human how to
properly adapt for survival.
The information provided by the scientists were useful in guiding policy makers to
construct and implement rule to hinder adverse effects of climate change.
