Planet Water Walk at Blaine Wetland Sanctuary A Coon Creek Watershed District grant‐funded project April 2019 • Students will define system as parts working together, often systems as parts within systems. • Students will experience the solar system to scale by touching objects and walking distances • Students will make observations of biosphere and hydrosphere (life and water) on earth at Blaine Wetland Sanctuary using their senses and tools • Students will compare and contrast evidence of life on earth with evidence (or lack) of life on other planets and their moons © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. Where is water in space and in this place? What’s alive here today at BWS? BWS Station C © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. A system is parts working together. Atmosphere Matter and energy move through systems. Air is gases all around; nitrogen, The 4main ecological systems that work oxygen and a little other stuff. together on planet earth are shown here. Biosphere Life on earth abounds; plants, bugs, people, fish & trees. Animals large and small. Hydrosphere Geosphere Rain, snow, sleet and hail, Mountains, plains plateaus. oceans, lakes, rivers, Smaller boulders go to rocks streams, glaciers- and sand and stones. ice sheets where its cold. © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. What we know about MERCURY Atmosphere Un‐believable? Unbreathable! Mercury's thin atmosphere, or Biosphere exosphere, is composed mostly of oxygen (O2), sodium (Na), hydrogen No life found…yet. (H2), helium (He), and potassium (K). Temperatures can reach Source: Nasa.gov April 2019 800° F in the daytime and drop to ‐290° F at night. Hydrosphere No water found…yet Geosphere Mercury is a solid, rocky planet with NO moons. Mercury has a solid surface, much like earth’s cratered moon. Source: Nasa.gov April 2019 © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. MERCURY Image Source: www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2455.html What we know about VENUS Atmosphere Biosphere Its thick atmosphere traps No life found…yet. Most likely heat in a runaway because of such high greenhouse effect, making temperatures and no water. it the hottest planet in our Future Venus explorers will solar system—with surface search for evidence of an temperatures hot enough to ancient ocean. melt lead. Source: Nasa.gov Jan 31, 2019 Source: Nasa.gov Jan 31, 2019 Hydrosphere Geosphere Venus is similar in structure and size to Earth, but it is now a very different world. Glimpses below the clouds reveal volcanoes and deformed mountains. ‐Nasa.gov Jan 31, 2019 © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. VENUS Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/ What we know about EARTH Atmosphere Our atmosphere protects us Biosphere from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our Earth is the only planet atmosphere before they can known to have life as strike the surface. we know it. Earth is the only planet we know fo to have liquid water at it’s surface. Hydrosphere Geosphere On the surface, earth’s land to water ration is 29% land to 71% water. Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the Sun, all of which are made of rock and metal. Source: Nasa.gov March 22, 2019 © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. EARTH Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/ What we know about MARS Atmosphere The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is a Biosphere dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. This dynamic planet has seasons, “At this time, Mars' polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons and surface cannot weather. support life as we Humans have sent 4 robotic explorers (called know it. Current rovers) to Mars. The rovers have found lots of missions are evidence that Mars was much wetter and determining Mars' warmer, with a thicker atmosphere, billions of past and future years ago. potential for life.” Source: Nasa.gov, Feb 2019 Source: Nasa.gov, Feb 2019 Geosphere Hydrosphere © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. MARS Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/overview/ What we know about the ASTEROID BELT Atmosphere Hydrosphere Geosphere Biosphere Source: Nasa.gov March 22, 2019 Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. They are much smaller than planets. They have no air, no living things, and no water that we have found yet at least! Comets orbit the Sun, like asteroids, but have crazy orbits and comets are made of ice and dust—not rock. There are thousands of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt—a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are leftovers from that time long ago when planets formed. Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays or metals, such as nickel and iron. Scientists can learn about asteroids by studying meteorites: tiny bits of asteroids that have flown through our atmosphere and landed on Earth’s surface. © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. The image below shows asteroids Ida and Gasta. To the right is a photo of a section of the asteroid belt. ASTEROID BELT Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/12195/cassini‐passes‐through‐asteroid‐belt/ What we know about JUPITER Atmosphere Biosphere “The atmosphere’s and interiors of the No life found…yet four gas planets‐ Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune‐ are thought to contain enormous quantities of the Hydrosphere wet stuff [water] and their moons and rings have substantial water and ice.” “Icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn Source: Nasa.gov Aug 2017 that show strong evidence of oceans beneath their surfaces: Ganymede, Europa and Callisto at Jupiter…. Ganymede has a saltwater, sub‐surface ocean, likely sandwiched between two Geosphere layers of ice.” Nasa.gov Aug 2017 No land, all gases. Windy clouds of ammonia and water floating on top of an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Source: Nasa.gov April 2019 © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. JUPITER Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/ What we know about SATURN Atmosphere Biosphere Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made No life found…yet mostly of hydrogen and helium. Source: Nasa.gov Hydrosphere Aug 2017 “Icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn that show strong evidence of oceans beneath their surfaces: Ganymede, Europa and Callisto at Jupiter, and Enceladus and Titan Geosphere at Saturn.” Nasa.gov Aug 2017 Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings—made of chunks of ice and rock—but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's. © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. SATURN Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/ What we know about URANUS Atmosphere Biosphere Uranus has stinky clouds. How stinky? As stinky as rotten eggs! In April 2017, a No life found…yet global research team found hydrogen sulfide, the odiferous gas that most people avoid, in Uranus’ cloud tops—a Hydrosphere striking difference from the gas giant Uranus is an ice giant. Most of its planets located closer to the Sun. mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" Source: Nasa.gov materials –water, methane and Aug 2017 ammonia –above a small rocky core. Geosphere Nasa.gov Aug 2017 Uranus has 13 rings and 27 moons. © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. URANUS Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/overview/ What we know about NEPTUNE Atmosphere Biosphere Neptune is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. It is an ice giant planet, Neptune cannot support life as eighth from the sun, and most the distant we know it. planet in our solar system. Note: Pluto is dwarf planet because it’s rocky, very small and doesn’t fit the pattern of the first 8 planets Geosphere Hydrosphere Neptune is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials –water, methane and ammonia –above a small rocky core. Neptune has 6 rings and 13 moons. Source: Nasa.gov Aug 2017 © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. NEPTUNE Image Source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/ Where is water in space and in this place? What’s alive here today at BWS? © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. Where is water in space and in this place? What’s alive here today at BWS? https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/the‐solar‐system‐and‐beyond‐is‐awash‐in‐water; © 2014 Growing Green Hearts, LLC. All rights reserved. https://io9.gizmodo.com/a‐map‐of‐all‐the‐water‐in‐the‐solar‐system‐5827649.