Earth sciences include geology, geography, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, geoinformatics, soil sciences, and glaciology. Environmental sciences investigate environmental conditions affecting living things. Earth sciences can be divided into sub-branches, including mineralogy, meteorology, and marine biology. Geography is divided into physical and human geography. Oceanography studies the Earth’s oceans, while atmospheric sciences study the atmosphere. Geoinformatics deals with Earth-related problems, soil science studies soil formation and management, and glaciology studies glaciers and their role in climate change.
Branches of earth sciences or geosciences are geology, geography, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, geoinformatics, soil sciences, and glaciology. New developments, however, have expanded the branches of earth sciences to include a collection of studies called environmental sciences. These aim to investigate the environmental conditions that positively and negatively affect all living things on Earth. Earth science branches can also be divided into sub-branches, such as mineralogy, meteorology, and marine biology. As the name suggests, all branches of earth sciences are direct studies of the Earth, living things and the factors that affect how they live, as well as non-living things.
According to early scientists, earth science is equivalent to geology, which investigates the solid part, or lithosphere, of the Earth. However, the Earth is not entirely solid, as it also includes a liquid part called the hydrosphere and a gaseous part called the atmosphere. Thus, the term has been defined as interconnected studies concerning the solid Earth, the waters of the Earth, and the various atmospheric phenomena upon it. Geology was then regarded as one of the main branches of the earth sciences; this specifically pertains to the materials the Earth is made of, how certain processes affect these materials, and the past events that have helped shape the Earth since its inception.
Considered one of the oldest academic disciplines, geography deals with the changes on the surface of the Earth and the relationship of human beings with their environment. Its complexity has prompted experts to divide it into two branches, physical geography and human geography, which are further divided into different disciplines. Meanwhile, the Earth’s oceans and their boundaries are being studied in oceanography. The oceans are interconnected to cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and serve as food sources for people and animals. They also function as a transit route for vessels associated with trade and commerce, and as a factor influencing weather and climate.
The atmosphere, as well as its physical and chemical properties, is at the heart of the atmospheric sciences. This study involves several disciplines, such as climatology and meteorology; In climatology, the main approaches to classifying climates are empirical, genetic, and applied. In empirical classification, climates are identified according to observable characteristics; in genetic classification, according to inferred causes; and in the classification applied, according to the effects of climate on other atmospheric events. For meteorology, the focus is on observed weather patterns, such as typhoons and monsoons.
Geoinformatics deals with the analysis of problems related to the Earth. Its branches include geostatistics and geodesy. Soil science, which includes soil science and edaphology, studies the formation, composition, and classification of soil, as well as how it should be managed properly. Glaciers and past events involving glaciers are studied in glaciology. It is important to study glaciers because they play a role in climate change.
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