WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HEY, WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST, JUSTIN TULLY.

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YOU KNOW,
NASA HAS COME

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THAT THE ONLY WAY
TO REALLY COMPREHEND

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THE

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IS
AS A WHOLE SYSTEM.

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EARTH SYSTEM
IS AN INTEGRATION

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OF MANY SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES,

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INCLUDING GEOLOGY,

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BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY,

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PHYSICS, OCEANOGRAPHY,

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METEOROLOGY, COMPUTER SCIENCE,

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AND ALL OTHER SCIENCES
THAT

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HERE'S DR. MELODY AVERY
OF NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER.

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- NASA SCIENTISTS
USE

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TO MEASURE KEY FEATURES
OF OUR

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SUCH AS CONCENTRATIONS
IN THE ATMOSPHERE

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AND THE TEMPERATURE
OF THE OCEAN IN MANY LOCATIONS.

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SATELLITES ORBITING OUR PLANET

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PROVIDE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS
OF DATA

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THAT SCIENTISTS USE
TO TRY TO

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HOW OUR PLANET WORKS

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AND THE CHANGES
THAT ARE HAPPENING.

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- AIDED BY THE EXPANDED
OF THE INTERNET

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AND VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY,

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WE ARE BETTER ABLE
TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT

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OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
ON EARTH SYSTEMS

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AND THE IMPACT OF EARTH SYSTEMS
ON HUMAN ACTIVITIES.

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EVERYTHING IN EARTH'S SYSTEM
CAN BE PLACED

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INTO ONE
MAJOR SUBSYSTEMS:

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LAND, AIR, WATER, AND LIFE.

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WE CALL THESE FOUR
SPHERES.

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SPECIFICALLY, THEY ARE
THE GEOSPHERE, OR LAND;

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ATMOSPHERE, OR AIR;

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HYDROSPHERE, OR

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AND BIOSPHERE, OR LIFE.

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LET'S LEARN A LITTLE
ABOUT EACH ONE.

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SUPPOSE YOU WERE TO
THE EARTH IN HALF

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AND VIEW ITS DIFFERENT LAYERS.

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WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?

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THE LITHOSPHERE
CONTAINS THE HARD SOLID LAND

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OF THE PLANET'S SURFACE,
CALLED THE CRUST.

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THE SEMISOLID LAYER
THE CRUST IS CALLED THE

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THE LIQUID
NEAR THE CENTER OF THE PLANET

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IS

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AND A SOLID DENSE CENTER
MAKES UP THE INNER CORE.

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THE CRUST IS VERY UNEVEN.

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THERE ARE HIGH MOUNTAIN RANGES
LIKE THE ROCKIES AND ANDES,

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SHOWN IN RED;

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HUGE PLAINS OR FLAT

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LIKE THOSE IN TEXAS,
IOWA,

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SHOWN IN GREEN;

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AND DEEP VALLEYS
ALONG THE

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SHOWN IN BLUE.

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THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS
ALL THE AIR IN OUR SYSTEM.

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IT EXTENDS
FROM THE PLANET'S

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TO ONLY 100 KILOMETERS

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THE ATMOSPHERE ITSELF

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IS
OF A NUMBER OF LAYERS.

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THE MIDDLE PORTION
OF THE

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THE STRATOSPHERE,

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PROTECTS THE ORGANISMS
OF THE BIOSPHERE

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FROM THE SUN'S
ULTRAVIOLET

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WHEN AIR TEMPERATURE

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IN THE
OF THE ATMOSPHERE,

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THE TROPOSPHERE, CHANGES,
WEATHER OCCURS.

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AS AIR IN THE LOWER
IS HEATED OR COOLED,

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IT MOVES AROUND THE PLANET.

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THE RESULT CAN BE AS SIMPLE
AS A BREEZE

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OR AS COMPLEX
AS A TORNADO OR HURRICANE.

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THE HYDROSPHERE CONTAINS
ALL THE SOLID, LIQUID,

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AND GASEOUS WATER
OF THE PLANET.

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THE HYDROSPHERE EXTENDS
FROM THE

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DOWNWARD SEVERAL
INTO THE LITHOSPHERE

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AND UPWARD ABOUT 12 KILOMETERS
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

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SOLID OR FROZEN WATER
CAN BE

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IN THE FORM OF GLACIERS,
ICE CAPS, AND ICEBERGS.

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THIS IS ALSO CALLED
THE CRYOSPHERE.

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LIQUID WATER CAN BE FOUND
IN THE

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RIVERS, LAKES,

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AND GROUNDWATER
BENEATH THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

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GASEOUS WATER, WATER VAPOR,

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CAN BE FOUND
IN THE ATMOSPHERE

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THE FINAL SPHERE,
THE BIOSPHERE,

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CONTAINS ALL THE PLANET'S
LIVING THINGS.

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THIS SPHERE INCLUDES
ALL

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PLANTS, AND ANIMALS
OF EARTH.

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WITHIN THE BIOSPHERE,

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LIVING THINGS
FORM ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES

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BASED
SURROUNDINGS

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THESE COMMUNITIES
ARE

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DESERTS, GRASSLANDS,
AND

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ARE THREE

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THAT
WITHIN THE BIOSPHERE.

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CAN YOU DETERMINE
WHAT

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SO WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE EARTH AND ITS SYSTEMS?

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THE INDIVIDUAL SPHERES
OF EARTH'S SYSTEM

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HAVE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS
WITH EACH OTHER,

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CREATING CHANGES IN THE SYSTEM
AS A WHOLE.

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OCEANS AFFECT CLIMATE ON LAND,
FOR EXAMPLE,

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AND BOTH NATURAL AND MAN-MADE
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

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IN ONE PART OF THE WORLD
AFFECT OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

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JUST THINK HOW RECENT
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

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GROUNDED AIR TRAVELERS
ALL OVER THE WORLD.

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THERE ARE SO MANY
LIVING ON THE PLANET,

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AND EACH PERSON NEEDS

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LIKE FOOD, WATER,
HEATING, AND TRANSPORTATION.

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ALL OF THIS ENERGY,
IF USED CARELESSLY,

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CAN CHANGE
THE EARTH'S

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DEPLETE ITS OZONE SHIELD,

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AND DRAMATICALLY ALTER
THE NUMBER

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OF ORGANISMS THAT SHARE
OUR PLANET AND THE EARTH SYSTEM.

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BUT WHY DOES NASA
STUDY EARTH SYSTEMS?

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FROM THE UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT
OF SPACE,

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SCIENTISTS CAN SEE
AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY,

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UNDERSTAND MORE
ABOUT THESE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS

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BETWEEN EARTH SYSTEMS.

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WE CAN PREDICT HOW DUST STORMS
IN THE SAHARA

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MIGHT AFFECT CROPS
IN THE AMERICAN MIDWEST

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OR HOW MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES
WILL SPREAD.

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OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS,
EARTH'S POPULATION HAS DOUBLED,

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GRAIN YIELDS HAVE TRIPLED,

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AND ECONOMIC OUTPUT
HAS GROWN SEVENFOLD.

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OVER 1/3 OF THE U.S. ECONOMY--
OVER $3 TRILLION ANNUALLY--

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IS INFLUENCED BY CLIMATE,
WEATHER, SPACE WEATHER,

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AND NATURAL HAZARDS,

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ALL OF WHICH GIVE US
A POWERFUL ECONOMIC INCENTIVE

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TO STUDY EARTH.

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- UNDERSTANDING
AIR, WATER,

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AND LIFE OF OUR PLANET

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GIVES US THE KNOWLEDGE
TO BEST MANAGE

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THE WORLD AROUND US.

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- SO REMEMBER,
YOU'RE PART OF THE SYSTEM TOO.

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IT'S UP TO YOU TO MAKE SURE
IT WORKS PROPERLY.

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AND THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT
IS TO UNDERSTAND

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HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS
AND WHAT ROLE YOU CAN PLAY

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TO MEET THE CHALLENGES
OF TOMORROW.

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THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME,
I'M JUSTIN TULLY.

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THANKS FOR WATCHING
"NASA LAUNCHPAD."