Unifying Themes in Earth Science

Atmospheric Processes and the Water Cycle (Earth and Space Science Unifying Concept A)
Earth systems have internal and external sources of energy, both of which create heat. Driven by sunlight and Earth's internal heat, a variety of cycles connect and continually circulate energy and material through the components of the earth systems.

Solar System and Universe (Earth and Space Science Unifying Concept B)
The universe is a dynamic system of matter and energy. The universe is extremely large and massive with its components separated by vast distances. Tools of technology will continue to aid in the investigation of the components, origins, processes and age of the universe. Earth is one part in our solar system, which is within the Milky Way galaxy. The Sun is the energy-producing star for our solar system. Most objects in our solar system are in predictable motion, resulting in phenomena such as day/night, year, phases of the moon, tides, and eclipses.

Earth's Composition and Structure (Earth and Space Science Unifying Concept C)
Earth is composed of materials that move through the biogeochemical cycles. Earth’s features are shaped by ongoing and dynamic processes. These processes can be constructive or destructive and occur over geologic time scales.