A system has a characteristic constellation of elements and a structure which determines its function and identity. A system is composed of elements, and connections between those elements. An example of a system is a food web, such as the Antarctic marine food web. There are many different types of organisms that live in the Southern Ocean. There is a complex relationship between the predators and their prey, from the phytoplankton at the bottom, to the Humans at the top.

The marine system is only one example of a system. On a grander scale, there is the Earth system that is composed of the hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (land), atmosphere (air), biosphere (living things), and sociosphere (humans). System scientists study the interactions between those spheres.

 

Information on this page compiled by Bob Hollister.