| A | B |
|---|
| atmosphere | the gaseous enevelope of air surrounding the Earth |
| biosphere | All living organisms in the Earth system and their environments |
| carbon cycle | The biogeochemical circulation of carbon through the Earth system |
| closed system | a system in which energy can enter or leave, but matter can not |
| cycle | the physical or chemical processing of Earth materials that repeats over time, for example, the water cycle, carbon cycle and rock cycle |
| Earth system science | The study of the Earth materials and processes subdivided into a group of four interconnected spheres of activity: atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere |
| energy cycle | the movement of energy into and out of the Earth system |
| evapotranspiration | the rapid cycling of water vapor into the atmosphere by evaporation from Earth's surface or transpiration from plant leaves |
| geosphere | The rocks, mountains, lithospheric plates and other physical features of Earth, except for water |
| geothermal energy | Heat energy that originates from within teh Earth and drives the movement of Earth's tectonic plates |
| hydrosphere | All water in the Earth system |
| model | A simplified representation of an object, process or phenomenon, used as the basis for further study or investigation |
| open system | A system in which there is a free exchange of both energy and matter between the system and its surrounding |
| solar energy | Energy emitted by the sun |
| system | A naturally occuring group of objects or phenomena that share matter and energy, for example, the four spheres of the earth |
| tidal energy | energy created by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the Earth's oceans |
| water cycle | The continuous circulation of water through the hydrosphere as solid, liquid or gas |
