GGR101H1F Ancient Civilizations and Their Environments

13/09/12
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Environment covers all of ambient influence in the physical, biological and human world
o Physical environment includes characteristics of
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere constrained by elements of physical environment & interactions

Atmosphere composed of nitrogen (78%) & oxygen (20%)

o Produces greenhouse effect b/c of small concentrations of CO2, CH4, etc.
o Without greenhouse effect: -50 degrees C (not completely man-made phenomenon)
How stable is this composition?
Addition of CO2 due to natural and human activity
How much has it changed through time?
Substantially; climate changed due to proportions of greenhouse gases
What are the consequences of changes in atmospheric chemistry?
Hydrosphere: unique in solar system
o Water exists as a solid, liquid or gas (readily exchanges between states) energy
exchanges accompany changes in state (evaporation & condensation & precipitation)
70% globe water-covered how has that changed through time?
More land above water than there has been in a long time
Changes in the amount of water on the earth = shape and size of the
oceans varies
What roles do oceans play in forcing environmental change?
Huge role in climate change intersection between hydrosphere &
atmosphere (energy exchanges occur)
Lithosphere: dynamic w/ hot differentiated interior that drives plate tectonics
o How long has plate tectonics been going on?
As long as the earth has had a crust (~3.5 billion years)
Continents constantly moving and changing in location
o How does it determine environmental change?
Volcanism = effects global climate, etc.
Biosphere: comprised of plants & animals as well as microbes (most successful of earths biota)
o Essential to biogeochemical cycles (e.g. The N cycle)
o Directly & indirectly influence climate
How to biota influence global environments and what role do they play in
environmental change?

Evidence from past earths and enviroments from geologic record earth is old (4.5 billion yrs)
o Environmental change for most of time
Record is thin for 85% recycled
Most record from marine sediments; most of global surface covered by water
(marine env. depositional; land erosional records dont persist for as long)
Only 0.6 billion years provide details (time with hard bodies developing at this time
fossils to make statements of environmental change)

Continuous environmental changes throughout geologic time

o Most natural; human influence only very recent
o Hominids/hominins evolve some 4 mil. yrs ago little-modest environmental impact until
Holoscene (last 10,500 years)
Throughout most of geologic time Earth was much warmer than today larger greenhouse effect
o Geography constantly changed
o Biomes are recent phenomena (boreal forest, prairie grasslands, tundra, etc.)
o Normal warm world mostly sub/tropical; forests extended into polar regions
Modern world bizarre unusually cold section of Phanerozoic climate graph

Two major controls of Earth systems: both involve energy

o 1: Energy generated in earths interior (Plate tectonics)
Drives continents, determines timing/location of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis,
etc., controls critical chemical cycles (ex. carbon cycle)
Canadian Shield ~4 billion yrs old; rest being recycled
o 2: External: solar radiation
Changed through time & fluctuates at a range of temporal scales
Determined by amount emitted & how energy is processed by atmosphere
and Earths surface (eg. Relationship between volcanoes & climate)
The energy systems interact

Earth environment a large system; consequence of interactions between subsystems

o All systems input, process and output energy and/or matter
o Systems open or closed
Open: exchange both energy and matter (Earth as a whole is open)
Closed: open for energy but closed for matter (ex. Hydrological system as the
supply of water is finite)
o Behaviour of systems determined by feedback
Interaction of physical & biological variables keep the system in equilibrium
Dampening effects called negative feedback
E.g. energy input into earth is uneven; surplus in tropics & deficit in high
latitudes; oceanic & atmospheric circulations act as negative feedback to
transfer energy from surplus to deficit
Changes in 1+ components in system produce positive feedback & induce changes
in behaviour of that system
E.g. global warming attributed to changes in proportion of greenhouse
gases (consequence of fossil fuel burning, deforestation, etc.)
Systems attain steady state equilibrium over time; some show dynamic equilibrium
(trend) but no major disruption
Ability of system to maintain equilibrium depends on resilience
Complex systems more resilient than simple (natural vs. anthropogenic)
Sometimes size & rapidity of change may exceed some threshold