Why Do I Need to Know Earth Science?

When many of us think of SCIENCE, it is usually with a little fear.  Maybe we did not do that well in high school.  Maybe we feel a little weak in that area.  Or maybe it has very little to do with our day-to-day lives.

Actually, Earth Science has a lot to do with all of our lives!

Take a look at this list of cars & trucks.  Traditionally, cars & trucks are sold by their “make and model” (as opposed to numbers & letters) so buyers will identify with and be loyal to a particular company’s products.  Each model is a term from Earth Science.

How many can you identify?

Company & Model

Chrysler Aries

Chrysler Breeze

Chrysler Cirrus

Ford Mercury

Ford Navigator

Ford Scorpio

Ford Topaz

Ford Zephyr

GM Aurora

GM Avalanche

GM Bonneville

GM Canyon

GM Delta

GM Equinox

GM Nova

GM Saturn

GM Tahoe

GM Tempest

GM Typhoon

GM Yukon

Isuzu Oasis

Mitsubishi Eclipse

Mitsubishi Mirage

Nissan Pulsar

Nissan Titan

Subaru Outback

Toyota Tundra

Volkswagen  Sirocco

Keep in mind that automobile manufacturers are in business to sell as many cars & trucks as possible.  Do you think you would buy a car if you did not understand what the model name meant?  Would most people buy trucks that did not give them a sense of power and strength?

Obviously, we are all expected to know this information.  Those of us who missed it would be buying a product without all the facts.

Earth Science is divided into three overlapping categories:

• Astronomy
• Geology
• Weather & Climate

Let’s put our cars & trucks into their proper categories!

Astronomy terms:

Aries and Scorpio are signs of the Zodiac (what’s your sign?) and constellations in the night sky.

Mercury (Roman messenger of the gods) and Saturn (older Roman god of agriculture) are planets in our solar system; Titan is a moon of Saturn, so large it is the only moon of the solar system with an atmosphere.  Have you read The Sirens of Titan, by the late Kurt Vonnegut, Jr?

Aurora is the Roman goddess of the dawn, and the northern lights (aurora borealis) & southern lights (aurora australis).  You may have noticed that many celestial bodies are named for figures in the ancient Roman religion!

The equinox occurs when the length of day and night are equal: the first day of spring (vernal equinox) and first day of fall (autumnal equinox).

The nova and pulsar are types of stars.

An eclipse occurs when either the moon obscures the sun from view (either partially or totally) or the moon moves into the shadow of the Earth (either partially or totally).

Geology terms:

A navigator plots the course of  ships or aircraft using latitude, longitude, the sun & stars.

Topaz is a relatively hard gemstone

An avalanche is a landslide of snow and/or ice that moves at extreme speeds down a slope.

Lake Tahoe is between California and Colorado.  Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake in Utah near Nevada are the remains of an ancient Pleistocene inland sea.

A canyon and a delta are land formations created by water or glaciers.

An oasis is a green area surrounded by desert.

Weather & Climate terms:

Breezes, zephyrs and siroccos are different types of winds.

Cirrus is a type of cloud.

A tempest is a violent storm; a typhoon is a hurricane that occurs off the coast of Asia.  Have you read Shakespeare’s The Tempest?

The Yukon, outback and tundra are areas of the Earth that have distinctive weather, plants & animals.

A mirage is an optical illusion where heat and light give the appearance an image reflected off what seems like a body of water.  Often seen on the surface of a highway on a hot day.

So, Earth Science is important!  It is embedded in our everyday life and our culture.  Stay tuned!