U1S4 Spheres of Earth

Earth Science

What is the hydrosphere?

All of Earth's water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, and the cryosphere.

What is the cryosphere?

The part of Earth consisting of frozen water.

What is the geosphere?

The solid part of Earth, including rocks, minerals, landforms, and Earth's interior.

What is the atmosphere?

The blanket of gases that surrounds the surface of a planet.

What is the biosphere?

The parts of land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms live.

What is a system?

A group of parts that work together as a whole, where a change in one part affects all others.

What does the atmosphere do?

It is a mixture of gases and particles that protects Earth's surface.

How much of Earth's surface is covered by the hydrosphere?

About 71 percent.

What does the hydrosphere include?

Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, and the cryosphere.

What does the biosphere include?

All organisms on Earth, including those in the air, on land, and in water.

What does the geosphere include?

Rocks, minerals, landforms, and Earth's interior.

Example of sphere interaction: photosynthesis

Plants in the biosphere take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the geosphere to produce food, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

Example of sphere interaction: volcanoes

Volcanic eruptions in the geosphere release particles into the atmosphere, leading to water droplet formation in the hydrosphere, resulting in rainfall that supports biosphere growth.

Example of sphere interaction: human activity

Humans use materials from the geosphere to build dams, affecting water flow in the hydrosphere, evaporation into the atmosphere, and energy use in the biosphere.

What are the four spheres of Earth?

Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere.

How are the spheres connected?

They are interconnected, so a change in any sphere ultimately affects the others.