An introduction to the physical characteristics of planet earth. The focus is on processes and interactions of the four components of the earth system: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. An understanding of the human impact on earth systems is also developed in the context of global climate change. Cutting edge technologies to study planet earth are introduced, including Global positioning systems (GPS), satellite-based Remote Sensing (RS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Satisfies Natural Science Lab GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Scientific Reasoning student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.