Curated category
Earth
- Earth's energy budgetThe Sun delivers energy to Earth at a rate measured in watts, creating a constant flow that defines our planet's climate.
- History of EarthEarth formed around 4.54 billion years ago from a rotating cloud of interstellar dust and gas called the solar nebula. This process began when a nearby…
- Gaia hypothesisIn September 1965, chemist James Lovelock sat at a desk in California working on methods to detect life on Mars. He was employed by the Jet Propulsion…
- Tipping points in the climate systemIn climate science, a tipping point is a critical threshold that, when crossed, leads to large, accelerating and often irreversible changes in the climate…
- EarthThe Modern English word Earth developed from an Old English noun most often spelled ertha. This term has cognates in every Germanic language, tracing back to…
- Ocean heat contentOcean heat content describes the thermodynamic potential energy stored within seawater. Scientists define this value using the equation of state for seawater.
- Earth massThe symbol M Earth represents a specific quantity of matter equal to the entire planet we inhabit. Astronomers use this standard unit to compare other…
- Water distribution on EarthEarth holds 1.386 billion cubic kilometers of water, yet only 2.5% of that total is fresh. The remaining 97.5% exists as saline seawater with an average…