People's Connection to Nature

• Earth's natural systems are diverse and unique, inspiring awe through untouched landscapes featuring distinctive landforms, vegetation, and water features.
• Cultural landscapes are inspirational to some, especially Indigenous peoples due to their strong emotional ties to the land.
• Biodiversity hotspots, covering less than 3% of Earth's land, house 44% of plant species and 35% of land vertebrate species.

People’s Connection to Nature: Worldview

• People's connection to nature depends on their worldview, influenced by attitudes, values, and expectations.
• Eco-centric worldview ascribes inherent value to all life, viewing humans as part of nature.
• Anthropocentric worldview values nature only for its usefulness to humans.

Aboriginal Peoples’ Connection to Country

• Indigenous Australians view land as a spiritual entity that owns them.
• Their identity, culture, and beliefs are deeply linked to the land and Dreamtime stories.

The Overview Effect

• Astronauts viewing Earth from space have perceived it as a shared home without borders between nations or species.

Universal Value of Earth’s Environments

• Nature possesses intrinsic value, independent of human usage.
• The global commons includes shared resources, such as oceans, vital for numerous ecosystems but owned by no single nation.

Characteristics of Earth’s Natural Systems

• Atmosphere: A mix of gases and particles, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, consisting of 5 atmospheric layers.
• Hydrosphere: The water system which includes water in liquid, vapor, and ice forms.
• Water cycles through Earth via the water cycle.
• Lithosphere: Earth's outer solid shell, composed of tectonic plates.
• Ecosphere (Biosphere): The zone where life exists, encompassing living organisms, non-living components, and energy cycles.

Factors Affecting Natural Systems

• Latitude: Impacts temperature, with the equator being warmer and the poles cooler.
• Altitude: Air temperature decreases with increasing altitude.
• Continentality: Describes the effect of ocean proximity on climate; oceanic areas experience milder temperatures.
• Oceanity: Represents the influence of oceans on both temperature and precipitation.
• Seasonality: Water bodies affect evaporation and precipitation rates.

Processes, Cycles, and Circulations Connecting Natural Systems

• Atmospheric, hydrological, geomorphic, and ecological systems are all interconnected.

Earth’s Atmospheric Layers

• Troposphere (0-10 km): The layer where weather phenomena like precipitation and wind occur.
• Stratosphere (10-50 km): Characterized by calm conditions, absence of precipitation, and the presence of the ozone layer.
• Mesosphere (50-80 km): Features strong winds, meteors, and extremely cold temperatures.
• Thermosphere (80-600 km): Notable for strong winds, auroras, and high temperatures.
• Exosphere (600 km and beyond): Features very thin air, transitioning into outer space.

Earth's Land and Water Cover

• Natural processes, cycles, and circulations, including climatic and glacial cycles, ecological succession, and vegetation invasions, have shaped Earth's land and water cover.

Summary

• Earth's natural systems and affecting cycles, such as climate and ecological shifts, have formed a diverse, interconnected environment that sustains life.
• Influencing factors are latitude, altitude, oceanity, and seasonality.