What is this Earth Systems Science that can be so important? Earth means that it is about our planet. Science indicates that it is about a special way of investigating our world. With science we make observations, do experiments and continually test our ideas to find out if they are true or not. But what do we mean by systems?
We often describe our bodies as being made of systems such as the nervous, circulatory and immune systems. The circulatory system is the organized way that blood moves throughout our body. It has many parts such as the veins, the arteries, the heart and the red blood cells. These many parts work together to form a larger whole. Any system has parts that connect with each other in special ways so that the whole "system" is more than the sum of its parts.
A system can be part of an even larger system. The circulatory system connects with other body systems to form a whole human being who joins with other humans to form human societies that connect with other living organisms to form Earth's living system, its biosphere.
One of the reasons that medical science can prevent and heal so many diseases is that we have learned a lot about human systems. We have learned about parts such as cells, genes, vitamins, muscles, hormones and nerves. We have learned a lot about these parts (such as the even smaller parts that make them) and how they join together to form larger parts (such as organs and body systems) that join together to form us.
Earth Systems Science is important because we are learning how to scientifically study and understand our planet as a system. We are learning how the different parts of our planet work and how they join together to form our incredible, organized and functioning planet.
One way of studying Earth as a system is to investigate the different systems that join together on our planet. Some of the most important of these systems are:
There is another way to understand Earth as a system. As we learn about water, life, air and rocks on our planet, we discover patterns that keep showing up. We begin to discover that a few simple patterns help us understand how our planet works. Some of the most important patterns are:
Earth Systems Science is especially important because humans can now change the way our planet works. There are more than five billion people living here now and our numbers keep growing rapidly. We also have developed powerful technologies that can dramatically change Earth's systems such as our climate, atmosphere and the numbers and kinds of other living organisms. Our ability to change the way our planet works is both a danger and an opportunity. We can cause great harm to ourselves and to Earth's other creatures. We can also learn to live in ways that keep our planet healthy and still enable us to have satisfying lives. Earth Systems Science can help us avoid the dangers and enjoy the abundance that our planet provides.