Earth System Science Analysis, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Earth is a system of personality parts that work mutually as a multipart whole. We call the four key fractions of the earth system spheres. These parts contain the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Transformation continually occurs within earth’s four key spheres. Such changes are known as events. An event can form changes to happen in one or much of the spheres. Every event may also be the result of transformation in one or more of the spheres. Every interaction is the two-way, creates and causes relationship between every event and every sphere. Earth System Science studies the communications between and between events and the earth’s spheres.

Earth System Science investigates every event to sphere, sphere to event and sphere to sphere communication. This is Earth System Science analysis, or ESS analysis.

ESS analysis contains four steps, which include looking at

• how the event changes each of the spheres,
• how every sphere changes the event,
• how the spheres changes every other, and
• Linking the communication.

Step 1: Event > Sphere Interactions

How can an event change every sphere? The answers to this question are the event > sphere causes.

E > A

For example, fires may cause tremendous heat and increase fast rising columns of heated air, which in turn can come up with more air at the base of the fire, drop the clamminess in the area of the vigorous fire to near zero and create dense smoke, which goes hundreds of miles.

E > H

Ash from fires may falls into watersheds such as: ponds, lakes and streams. The effects that we might expect this to cause in the hydrosphere is the change of burning embers from the falling debris falling in the streams worth considering.

Step 2: Sphere > Event Interactions

 We need to take another look at the Earth System Diagram above. We will notice that the arrows go not only from the spheres back to the event but also from the event to each sphere. Consider: if something occurred to the biosphere because of fires, may that have an change on the fires themselves? For example, if fires create the forest floor debris (biosphere) to burn off, how might that change in the biosphere affect the fires? Clearly, the fires would be using up fuel necessary to keep them burning. So, a statement such as, “The leaf litter was burned by the fires thus diminishing the amount of fuel available to keep the fires burning in that area” might be a valid B > E interaction.

We looked at how each set of possible changes fires might make on each sphere. If they occurred, how might these changes in turn affect the fires? Consider whether these changes have short-term or long-term effects.

Step 3: Sphere > Sphere Interactions

 Now that we have an idea of how an event and the spheres can affect one another, it is time to introduce one more level of interaction. We need to take a look at the Earth System Diagram below. Notice the additional arrows going to and from all the spheres. These additional arrows indicate another set of interrelationships powered by an event.

If an event causes certain changes in one sphere, how might those effects lead to changes in the other spheres? For example, fires might burn the soil (lithosphere) to a depth of several inches or more in certain hot spots. What effect do you think that would have when it finally started raining and there was runoff to the streams (hydrosphere)? If there were burning embers in the atmosphere that eventually fell back into the streams (hydrosphere), how might that blackened debris affect the aquatic invertebrates and fish (biosphere) that survived the event?

We tried to see what interactions you can find among the different spheres. Think about what effects might happen in each sphere as a result of fires. Add these effects to your ESS analysis. We need to keep in mind as we list the interactions that it is important for you to offer scientific reasoning or explanations for why or how the interactions happen. Such explanations and reasoning display your understanding of the science behind the interactions. These explanations are valuable for you and others because they make your why and how thinking visible and they often help you to think about additional ESS interactions.

Some of the interactions also establish feedback loops. For example, as fires burn, they dry vegetation around them, thus creating more fuel for the fire. This positive feedback loop reinforces the burning of the fires. A negative feedback loop that lessens the intensity of the fires is established when ash from the fires is carried into the atmosphere and forms condensation particles for water vapor. These condensation particles eventually form clouds that release precipitation. The precipitation can put out the fires.

Step 4: Causal Chains

The interactions that occur within Earth’s system actually occur as a series of chain reactions, which ripple through Earth’s spheres like waves that spread out from a pebble tossed in a still pond. This means that an event often leads to a change in one sphere, which leads to a change in another sphere, which leads to a change in yet another sphere.

For example:

1. A forest fire destroys all the plants in an area (E > B).
2. The absence of plants leads to an increase in the erosion of the soil (B > L).
3. Increased amounts of soil enter streams leading to increased turbidity, or muddiness, of the water (L > H).
4. Increased turbidity of the water has a negative impact on the plants and animals living in the stream (H > B).

You can write the four interactions above as a causal chain that synthesizes the results of the ESS analysis and describes how the event can lead to a ripple of effects throughout the Earth system. Causal chains show the interdependence of Earth’s spheres. I’ve summarized the causal chain outlined above in a narrative form below.

E > B > L > H > B

The fire consumed the vegetation. A decrease in vegetation resulted in increased soil erosion because there were fewer roots to hold the soil in place. Increased erosion of loose soil led to increased soil particles, or sediments, in streams. This would make stream water muddier. Sediments in the water clogged the gills of fish and other aquatic organisms and choked them.

The following are some simple causal chains.

A > B > E

More than 8 weeks of warm to hot, low humidity air masses drew moisture out of grasses and trees prior to the fires.

E > A > E

Conclusion

As we were listing event <->sphere and sphere<->sphere interactions, it was important that we be able to explain why or how the interactions occurred. For example, a geosphere<->biosphere interaction does not merely provide, “a decrease in vegetation could occur in increased erodibility of soil in the shed.” We also need to give a reason “because there were fewer roots to keep it in place.” Such explanations show your understanding of the science following the interactions. These clarifications are precious for you and others as they make our “Why?” or “How?” thinking noticeable and they frequently lead to the detection of additional ESS interactions.

 For the case of the Local Water Board, the watershed and the ecosystem evolved with fires and fires continue to be an instrument that land managers can require to use to keep the ecosystem in equilibrium.  However, since of human incursions into the natural ecosystem, there is a controlled amount of forage, space, and fresh water for the wildlife in the area.  Skirmishing fires may be necessary to maintain the ecosystem intact and functional. Our goal is to establish if there is a need to fight normal fires or if the ecosystem is best left alone (fire included).

References

Franke, Mary Ann (2000). “The Role of Fire in Yellowstone” (pdf). Yellowstone in the Afterglow. National Park Service

Knight, Dennis H.; Linda L. Wallace (November 1989). “The Yellowstone Fires: Issues inLandscape Ecology”. Bioscience 39 (10): 700–706..

Lynch, Heather; Roy A. Renkin Robert L. Crabtree and Paul R. Moorcroft (January 19, 2007). “The Influence of Previous Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) Activity on  the 1988 Yellowstone Fires“. Ecosystems 2006 (9): 1318–1327