2011 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Marcus Weeks

How Change Shapes Our Planet

There are many interactions among the earth’s systems that can affect our planet. These interactions can happen between the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. People play a critical role in the process of change on our planet. They gather evidence of these changes and study their affects too.

The earth’s systems interact with each other in multiple ways. One way is during a volcanic eruption. This change in the geosphere directly affects the atmosphere by releasing ash and toxic gases into the earth. This affects the hydrosphere and biosphere by putting ash into the ocean which affects animal life. The earth’s systems affect each other greatly. People play a role in the change of our planet. We pollute much of the oceans with all the garbage that we produce. We also cause air pollution by letting off toxic fumes and heat from factories, which can cause global warming. Obviously people have a great effect on our planet.

People are also affected by the change in the planet. An earthquake can cause people to leave their homes or even cause the population to decrease due to deaths. The atmosphere can affect lives due to changes in weather and gases. Mankind is definitely affected by the changes in our planet.

Humans can gather evidence about these changes. One way they do this is by searching through the remains after a change on the earth, like a tsunami, using scientific tools. The aftermath can give evidence of what happened and how to prevent it. These methods are some of the ways that humans gather evidence.

There are plenty of interactions between earth’s systems. These interactions affect humans and humans affect them too. People gather evidence of these changes as well. There are many different ways that earth’s systems relate to each other.