![]() ![]() Nutrients in the soil enable them to sprout, blossom, and thrive. Our planet’s land masses also harbour an invisible treasure that benefits a particularly successful group of organisms – plants. Clay is used to construct entire buildings, but Ovenbirds discovered that a long time before humans! These feathered builders create spherical nests from damp soil and blades of grass. Soil provides many raw materials and natural resources that have been utilised by mankind for tens of thousands of years. Herds of the last free-ranging bison graze on the fertile plains that surround these imposing land formations in South Dakota. Over eons, rain and melt water have carved their way deep into the rock. A very special geological phenomenon are the Badlands. Reptiles and mammals might be carried to the newly formed shores on floating debris, or swim, like the Marine Iguanas that once arrived on the Galapagos Islands.Īlongside the subterranean, constructive forces of nature that build pristine land, there are those that are powerful enough to grind and shape rock into dust, or into breath-taking natural sculptures. The plants are joined by insects and birds that are able to fly long distances across the sea. Settlement begins when plant seeds are transported by the wind to the pristine new islands. Over millions of years, volcanic eruptions at the bottom of the sea have created new islands. Paradoxically, the destructive forces below ground are also a source of new life. When they collide and grind against each other, earthquakes or tsunamis may result. The tectonic plates of our planet are in constant motion. Our Earth, the land beneath our feet, is in a state of perpetual change and unrest, as demonstrated by countless volcanoes and geysers around the globe. In extreme cases, wind will develop into tornados that can travel up to 300 kilometres per hour leaving trails of destruction in their wake.Įpisode two brings us back to earth. Bats use high frequency acoustic signals to help them hunt in the dark night sky.īut the atmosphere doesn’t just support life – it can also kill… Differences in temperature between various points cause pressure fluctuations that set the air between them in motion, the result is wind. The atmosphere also carries sounds inaudible to the human ear. The males of many bird species use song as a way to impress and win over potential partners during their mating season. Song is probably the most pleasing of those sounds. All the different acoustic signals that animals use to ‘speak’ to one another would be inaudible. Without the medium of air there would hardly be any sounds or noises. ![]() Our atmosphere is not just a habitat, but also a conduit for communication. A relatively new branch of science, Aeroecology is now being used to learn about minute life forms that are active at different altitudes. At first glance it may seem relatively empty, but it is home to a wide variety of creatures, the most obvious of which are birds – albatrosses, puffins and sooty terns that all stay on the wing for inordinate lengths of time.īut there are more than feathers flying up there. ![]() This layer forms a living space in its own right. Nor would we have protection against extra-terrestrial dangers, like meteors or the sun’s lethal ultraviolet radiation. Without it, the Earth would not experience weather events or have the moderate temperatures that enable liquid water, and life, to exist in the first place. ![]() But the atmosphere has other lesser known attributes. We all know that without oxygen life is unsustainable. It is invisible, yet this element is of profound importance. The first episode explores the most inconspicuous of the Earth’s three habitats – Air, or, the atmosphere. Air, Land and Water are not only the stages for this dramatic theatre of life, but dynamic spheres in their own right, connected to one another through surprising relationships. Each element has its own special properties and phenomena and is home to myriad lifeforms that have infiltrated every habitat, from the deepest oceans to the tiniest nooks and crannies.Īcross three enthralling episodes, ‘Earth – The Nature of Our Planet’, explores mysteries of the plant and animal kingdoms weather and geological phenomena and nature’s wonders, from the perspective of the elements. As far as we know, our world is unique in the universe, defined by three elements, Air, Land and Water. Viewed from space, our blue planet seems as familiar as a long-time friend – so familiar that we forget how extraordinary it really is. ![]()
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