STEM 11 EARTH SCIENCE

1. Good
morning !
~Ma’am Ria Perez
Sub. Teacher in Earth Science

3. some
reminders:
Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s
on any part of the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in
answering the exercises.
Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and
checking your answers.
Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in
your module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher.
Always bear in mind that, “You are not alone.”

4. Characteristics of the Earth that are
Necessary to Support Life
Topic:
Most Essential Learning Competency:
Describe the characteristics of the Earth that are necessary to
support life
After going through this lesson, you are expected to:
1. identify the different factors necessary to support life in a planet;
2. describe the characteristics of the Earth necessary to support life;
and
3. explain how each characteristic affect life on Earth.
Learning Objectives:

5. Characteristics of the Earth that are
Necessary to Support Life
Earth exists for 4.543 billion years. In its early formation
life is not possible because the environment does not permit it.
However, as time goes by life flourish from minute
microorganism into a more complex organism. The presence of
life on Earth was made possible due to the following factors:

6. 1. Temperature
It influences how quickly atoms, molecules or
organisms move.
Low temperature slows down chemical reaction and
produces ice that makes liquid water unavailable.
High temperature can cause break down of
important biological molecules. In Earth’s condition,
temperature is just right to support life.

7. 2. Water
It is one of the important ingredients on the
different biological processes. Absence of this will
interfere reactions necessary for life. However, solid
form of this will also hinder living organisms to use it.
Water in earth has different forms. It is solid (ice) in
the 2 poles and liquid along the equator which allows
living organisms to consume it.

8. 3. Atmosphere.
It provides significant insulation or shielding from the
sun and impact of small to medium size meteorites.
Greenhouse gases like (CO2),and (CH4) traps heat and avoid
our planet from freezing. Moreover, ozone (O3) layer shields
the Earth’s surface from harmful UV radiation.
Atmosphere also provides chemicals needed for life,
such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Size of the planet and
its distance from the sun affects its ability to hold significant
amount of atmosphere. Earth has a right size and distance
from the sun that permits it to have a right amount of
atmosphere.
The presence of gravity also helps in sustaining its
atmosphere.

10. Troposphere
The troposphere starts at the Earth's surface
and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9
This part of the atmosphere is the most dense.
Almost all weather is in this region.
Stratosphere
The stratosphere starts just above the
troposphere and extends to 50 kilometers (31
miles) high. The ozone layer, which absorbs and
scatters the solar ultraviolet radiation, is in this
layer.

11. Mesosphere
The mesosphere starts just above the
stratosphere and extends to 85 kilometers
(53 miles) high. Meteors burn up in this
layer
Thermosphere
The thermosphere starts just above
the mesosphere and extends to 600
kilometers (372 miles) high. Aurora and
satellites occur in this layer.

12. Ionosphere
The ionosphere is an abundant layer of
electrons and ionized atoms and molecules that
stretches from about 48 kilometers (30 miles) above
the surface to the edge of space at about 965 km (600
mi), overlapping into the mesosphere and
thermosphere.This region is what makes radio
communications possible.
Exosphere
This is the upper limit of our atmosphere. It
extends from the top of the thermosphere up to
10,000 km (6,200 mi). This layer separates the rest of
the atmosphere from outer space.
Credit: NASA/Goddard

13. Earth's Atmosphere: Components & Structure - Video &
Lesson Transcript | Study.com
Link:

14. 4. Energy
Earth has available energy- rich sunlight to
support life.
Living organisms like plants and
photosynthetic bacteria use light as the source of
their energy.
Some chemosynthetic organisms rely on
chemical energy to support various biological
processes. Earth is at right position from the sun
that enables it to harness enough amount of
sunlight.

15. 5. Nutrients.
It is an essential factor used to build and
maintain organism’s body structure. Insufficient or
absence of nutrients can impede synthesis of the
different biological molecules.
In Earth, there are processes that recycle
nutrients. Water, carbon and oxygen, phosphate and
nitrogen cycles are some of the examples. Volcanism
also helps in cycling the nutrients.

16. A. Directions: Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false.
1. All living organisms need sunlight as source of their energy.
2. Absence of water interferes reactions necessary for life.
3. Gravity does not affect the Earth’s atmosphere.
4. Low temperature slows down chemical reactions among living organisms.
5. Atmosphere provides chemicals needed for life.
6. Size and distance from the sun affect the planet’s ability to hold atmosphere.
7. Volcanism helps in nutrient recycling.
8. Atmosphere protects Earth from small to medium size meteorite impacts.
9. Water traps heat from the sun.
10.Insufficient or absence of nutrients can hinder different biological processes.
B. Enumerate what is asked .
11-15.) Five different factors necessary to support life in a planet.
16-20.) Five layers of the Atmosphere

20. Subsystems of the Earth
Topic:
Most Essential Learning Competency:
Explain that the Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose
boundaries matter and energy flow.
After going through this lesson, you are expected to:
1. identify the four subsystems of the earth;
2. distinguish the characteristics of each subsystem;
3. explain how matter and energy flow in the subsystems; and
4. trace the flow of matter and energy in the subsystems.
Learning Objectives:

21. Earth’s Subsystems and the Flow of Matter and Energy
Earth is a complex system of interrelating
physical, chemical and biological processes. It is a
system in which there are sets of interconnected
components that are interacting to form a unified
whole. Earth is comprised of four major smaller
systems known as subsystems. These are also
called as spheres of the Earth. These are the
atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere.

22. Atmosphere serves as the Earth’s blanket, rooted from the
Greek word atmos which means gas and sphaira which means
globe or ball. It is composed of gases in varying amount and its
relative abundance is also crucial in different parts of the earth.
The air in the atmosphere is generally composed of 78% nitrogen,
21% oxygen, 0.9% argon and the remaining 0.10% is made up of
different trace gases and vapor.
It serves as the Earth’s protection form harmful UV rays and
keeps the planet warm through green house gases.
Atmosphere is affected by the Earth’s gravity so this is the
reason why as the altitude increases the amount of gases in the
atmosphere decreases. It is composed of layers namely:
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and
exosphere.

23. Geosphere comes from the Greek word geos meaning
ground. It pertains to the solid part of the earth.
It is divided in to three layers such as the crust,
mantle and the core.
It is composed of naturally occurring solid aggregate
of minerals, organic material or natural glass called rocks.
It is also composed of loose particles of rocks that
enveloped the surface of Earth called regolith.
It contains all the soil, rocks, and minerals present in
the crust to the core of the Earth. It comprises the geologic
landforms such as mountains and hills.

24. Hydrosphere is composed of all the water on Earth in
any form. This can either be in a form of water vapor
and liquid water.
Another part of this subsystem is the
permanently frozen parts called cryosphere.
Earth is the only planet in the solar system that are
known to contains water in all three phases.
Water on Earth is constant and consistently moving
because of temperature and salinity. It also plays an
important role in absorption and redistribution of solar
radiation.

25. Biosphere come from the Greek word bios meaning life. It
composed of all living things and the areas where they are
found. It includes all animals, microbes, and plants. It
extends to the upper areas of the atmosphere where
insects and birds can be found. It also extents to the deep
parts of the oceans where marine organisms can still
survive. It is also in this zone that the interaction between
the 29 different subsystems is most dynamic.
In biosphere, each organism plays an important role
the food web. If one is lost the others will be affected.