This course focuses on interactions between the solid Earth, its water, its air and its living organisms. There is an emphasis on systems thinking: how different processes work and interact, and how our Earth has changed over time. We explore the sustainability and renewability of resources, their implications and management, and how Earth processes and human activities can contribute to hazards and disasters, as well as how to predict, manage, and mitigate their impacts.
Course Pattern
In 2027, Unit 1 will be offered in Semester 1, then Unit 3 in Semester 2.
This unit focuses on how the four major Earth systems—the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere—interact and influence one another. Students explore the formation and structure of Earth, including the development of the oceans and atmosphere, and examine the importance of water and soils in supporting life. The unit also investigates the origin of life and how it has evolved alongside changes in Earth’s systems, using evidence such as fossils. Students consider how scientific understanding of Earth systems has developed through collaboration, technology, and evidence from different fields, while building inquiry skills used by Earth and environmental scientists.
This unit examines how energy drives processes within and between Earth systems. Students learn how energy from the Sun and Earth’s interior powers phenomena such as tectonic plate movement, weather patterns, and ocean currents. They explore how solar energy is transformed through processes such as photosynthesis and how it flows through ecosystems. The unit also investigates how matter cycles through the environment and how these cycles depend on energy transfers. Students develop skills in collecting and analysing data to understand how energy and matter move through Earth systems and influence environmental change.
This unit explores the natural resources that support human life, including both renewable and non-renewable resources. Students examine how these resources are formed, located, extracted, and used, as well as the environmental impacts of their consumption and the waste they generate. The concept of sustainability is central, emphasising the responsible management of resources to meet current and future needs. Students also learn about ecosystem services and how changes to Earth systems affect resource availability. The unit encourages critical thinking about the social, economic, and environmental factors involved in resource management and decision-making.
This unit investigates natural and human-induced changes to Earth, with a particular focus on hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, droughts, and fires. Students examine the causes and impacts of these hazards and explore how they can be predicted, managed, and mitigated. The unit also examines climate change, including the scientific evidence, predictive models, and the potential impacts on global and Australian environments. Students consider the challenges and uncertainties in interpreting scientific data and explore how science informs decisions about risk, environmental management, and sustainability.