What is Earth Science?
That’s because Earth science is the study of the Earth and all its materials. It aims to understand our planet’s many different systems, what it produces and reworks, and how humans are connected to its natural cycles and resources. Earth scientists are the people who do all of this and more! They work to solve the puzzles of the planet – they are detectives of the world and our connection to it.
With the development of curriculum and teacher enhancement programs in the 1940s, Earth science had an identity crisis. As the summary prepared for the Ninth International Clearinghouse Report states: Obviously Earth and Space Science as a distinct discipline does not exist. (Lockard, 1975). The summary mentions geology, meteorology, astronomy, and oceanography and how they deal with how the immediate physical environment of man lends itself to an interdisciplinary course (Lockard, 1975). This author reviewed a number of writings from the 1950s to 1970s in search of recommendations for Earth science content as part of a dissertation research project. In a series of articles published in geoscience and other literature more than a dozen authors with similar viewpoints, some as early as the 1960s, stated their opinion of earth science course content. These writers listed the disciplines they thought should be included in earth science or listed disciplines they perceived to be part of th
Earth science is the scientific study of our planet, the Earth. It encompasses all sciences which focus on the Earth, and uses physics, geology, geography, meteorology, mathematics, chemistry and biology. The Earth sciences generally recognize four “spheres” of study of the Earth: the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere, corresponding to rocks, water, air, and life. Sometimes the cryosphere is considered as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere, and the pedosphere (soil) is considered a subset of the lithosphere. Earth science has established many simple but important facts about the makeup of our planet. One significant set of facts are the relative chemical abundances of our air (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% water vapor, .93% argon, .03% carbon dioxide, .002% other) and crust (made up mainly of oxides, including 60 silica or sand). Earth scientists have accurately measured our planet’s diameter (12,756 km or 7,926 mi) and mass (5.9736 × 1024 kg).
“, “Earth science, also known as geoscience, is the study of Earth as a system and all its component parts. Geophysics, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, and more all fall within its purview. There’s no need to be overwhelmed, however. Earth science inspires some of its brightest minds to share their enthusiasm and expertise online. This Web guide showcases the best sites to explore the sky above you and the depths beneath your feet. Educators: Click here to sign up for our education newsletter.”, “/guides/Science/Earth-Science.pg_0.
