The Earth System: An Introduction to Earth Systems Science

The atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and solid Earth are the basic components of the Earth system. These different components are not separate entities; instead they interact over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. Determining how various internal and external influences impact each component of the Earth system individually is challenging. It is even more difficult to understand how the various components interact to yield the response of the entire Earth system to different forcings. This, however, is the critical task global change scientists must face in order to assess how various human activities, such as emissions of greenhouse gases, impact the environment.