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How about primordial life forms in the Great Lakes? What was our planet's surface like about three billion years ago? These are some of the questions addressed in this series.<p>We live on a dynamic planet, both at its surface and deep within. Interactions among Earth's tectonic plates create the major features of our planet's surface, such as deep-sea trenches, volcanic chains, and majestic mountains. Interactions between rock, water, and the atmosphere modify these features, and create the diverse and beautiful surficial environments and processes of our planet. Tectonic processes are mainly driven by Earth's internal heat, while surficial processes are fueled by the energy we receive from our sun. </p><p>We will focus on various surface environments and their relationship with climate — from pristine glaciers to dusty deserts, coastal dunes, rivers, and even the seascapes far below the oceans' surface. We will also explore how we — humans — are impacting our climate and natural environments, and some potential consequences of those impacts, such as sea level rise, ocean acidification, and groundwater contamination. </p><p>Some view climate change as one of the biggest societal and global challenges of our time. The Earth sciences bring a unique perspective to this issue because of the vast length and environmental diversity of Earth's history. That historical perspective — what geologists call the "paleo"-perspective — provides us with invaluable information about the amplitude and geographic extent of climatic and environmental change over geological time. We can thus compare natural changes with anthropogenic (human caused) ones. The articles in this series will go as far deep in time as the Archean (spanning between about 3.9 to 2.5 billion years ago). We will explore consequences of climate change on glacial-interglacial timescales (over tens of thousands of years), and even what paleo-climatologists call "abrupt climate change," which involves changes over centuries to millennia, with specific focus on ocean circulation and El Niño-La Niña events. We will also investigate both natural and human influences on ocean coral reef communities, vast methane ice deposits, and ocean life and productivity.</p><p>To develop a rich understanding of Earth's climate and surficial processes, begin with this introductory overview, and then explore the many other summaries you'll find below.</p><p>Image: NASA. <br/></p> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="clearfix fright" id="more" style="display:none;"> <a class="inlineLinks px12" onclick="fullDescriptionSection();return false;" href="#" title="View full article">More</a> </div> <div style="display:none;" class="" id="collapse"> <a class="inlineLinks px12" onclick="collapsedDescriptionSection();return false;" href="#" title="Close">Close</a> </div> <div id="shareWIthOthers" class="shareBox"> <div class="edge"><img src="/scitable/natedimages/pointedge.gif" class="marginleft80px" alt="" /></div> <div class="bordergrey"> <div class="clearfix bgTan marginbot10px" style="*margin-bottom:0px!important;"> <h2 class="fleft upper">share</h2> <a href="#" class="inlineLinks fright" onclick="hideShareLB();return false;">Close</a> </div> <ul class="nolistType marginleft10px marginright10px dispblock"> <li class="clearfix marginbot5px"><span class="fleft"><img class="h16 w16" src="/scitable/natedimages/digg.gif" alt="Digg" /></span><span class="fleft marginleft10px padtop2px"><a id="diggLink" href="" onClick="shareWithDiggLink();return false;">Digg</a></span></li> <li class="clearfix marginbot5px"><span class="fleft"><img class="h16 w16" src="/scitable/natedimages/myspace_logo.gif" alt="MySpace" /></span><span class="fleft marginleft10px padtop2px"><a id="myspaceLink" href="" onClick="shareWithMySpaceLink();return false;">MySpace</a></span></li> <li class="clearfix marginbot5px"><span class="fleft"><img class="h16 w16" src="/scitable/natedimages/gplus-16.png" alt="Google Plus+" /></span><span class="fleft marginleft10px padtop2px"><a rel="nofollow" id="googlePlusLink" href="" onclick="shareWithGooglePlus();return false;">Google+</a></span></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="fadeShareWIthOthers" class="share_overlay"></div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div class="tabContent" id="trPageRightSection"> <div class="rightRail padtop20px"> <div id="topicRoomRightRailTopicTree"> <div id="relatedTopicsDIVID" class="margintop10px"> <span class="clearfix tablistSpan bordertop"> <div style="line-height: 30px ! 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Discover the many terrestrial landscapes Earth contains and the processes that create them.</span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <a href="/scitable/knowledge/terrestrial-geosystems-40379087" class="inlineLinks fleft">Read More</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="exploreColumn padleft30px"> <div class="clearfix marginbot15px"> <div class="exploreSectionHdr clearfix w285"> <div class="subtopicHdrCover fleft w285 "> Marine Geosystems </div> </div> <div class="fleft w98p"> <div class="fleft padright10px"> <span class="borderNone"> <a href="/scitable/knowledge/marine-geosystems-40379140" class="inlineLinks"> <img class="fleft topicThumbImages" title="Marine Geosystems" alt="Marine Geosystems" src="/scitable/profileimage/topic/40379140/40379140_1335893898988_T.jpg" /> </a> </span> </div> <div class=""> <div class=""> <p class="nolistType nomargin"> <span class="">Over 70% of our planet's surface is covered by ocean. Discover oceanic processes, productivity of life in the ocean, and how ocean organisms and circulation respond to climate change.</span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <a href="/scitable/knowledge/marine-geosystems-40379140" class="inlineLinks fleft">Read More</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <div class="footer" id="footer"> <div class="footerContent"> <div class="repeatTopNav clearfix"> <div id="fbAutoSharePopup" style="left:0px;width:208px;display:none;" class="articlePageTOCForAuthoringBottom articlePageTOCForAuthoringIE7Bottom"> <div class="borderGrey pad5px clearfix" style="background:#A6B19D !important"> <span class="fleft bold px15 whitefont">LearnCast</span> </div> <div class="bgGreyIMP pad5px"> <div id="toBeShared_FB"> You have authorized LearnCasting of your reading list in Scitable. 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