In the summer of 1815, snow fell every month in New England. Was this related to the volcanic eruption of Tambora in Indonesia earlier in the year? Young scientists design their own experiments to research the long-term effect a volcanic...

Every year, more than 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the oceans of the world, most of which is plastic and toxic to ocean life. Lesson 32 in the series of 36 focuses on environmental concerns, specifically pollution. Under...

As part of the General Chemistry Virtual Textbook, this site examines a variety of topics related to the hydrosphere and the oceans. Topics covered include where the water came from, the hydrologic cycle, Oceanic circulation, atmospheric...

A course lecture on the external processes that shape the Earth, specifically the hydrologic system. This system is powered by the Sun's energy. The components of the Earth's energy budget are described, and how these drive the movement...

An overview of the impact of human activities on the environment and how those actions effect the nitrogen cycle.

The plate tectonics and other features of the Earth's lithosphere are explained and illustrated. Has links to definitions of the magnetosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere.

Explains what the four spheres of the Earth are, and the interactions between them.

Explains what the four spheres of the Earth are and describes how volcanic eruptions affect the different spheres. Also provides a list of events that are examples of interactions.

Learn about the systems that make up Earth, and find out how they interact.

Biogeochemical cycles happen when individual elements are recycled over and over in different parts of the Earth. Two examples are the Nitrogen Cycle and Carbon Cycle. Read an explanation of biogeochemical cycles and view a diagram of...

Get a general grasp on the four spheres, five sub-fields, and two scales of physical geography.