Earth System Schematics
When we study Earth Science, what we are really studying is a vast jumble of interconnected systems that function together.
For example, rivers transport water from inland mountans to coastal plains, but they also carry sediments to be deposited on the sea floor as part of the rock cycle... dissolved nitrogen to fertilize (or over-fertilize) the river deltas... organic carbon to nourish the deep ocean bottom...
The way in which the various components interact is staggering to comprehend even for the initiated scientist. It is through the understanding of these cycles that environmental professionals are able to make predictions about the condition of the biosphere in the future.
To view any of the schematics, select a link below:
Carbon Cycle
View This CycleIBIS
Description: A depiction of the Integrated Biosphere Simulator (IBIS), a computer model used to study the biogeochemistry of the Earth.
Source: Olejniczak and Swanson (2001)
Nitrogen Cycle
Description: How Nitrogen cycles through the Earth
Source: Olejniczak and Swanson (2001)
Ozone in the Atmosphere
Description: The two kinds of Ozone in the atmosphere
Source: Olejniczak and Swanson (2001)