The Earth is made of interacting subsystems referred to as spheres. There are four main spheres: atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere/lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Two other less known spheres are the cryosphere and cosmosphere. The interactions of the four main spheres affect all life on Earth. Some examples are the seasons, rock cycle, water cycle, and how people live in certain regions of the world. Firstly, the atmosphere contains all the air in Earth’s system from the air we breathe to the clouds in the sky. The atmosphere “extends from less than 1m below the surface to more than 10,000km above the planet’s surface. The upper portion of the atmosphere protects the organisms of the biosphere from the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation and absorbs/emits
“The hydrosphere covers 70% of the surface of the earth”(rice). Most of the water on Earth is saltwater. Most of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen, which makes up the cryosphere. The hydrosphere can cause many weather changes when interacting with the geosphere. For example, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and more can happen. (ucmp0 Also, the oceans have two main purposes when dealing with climate. “First, it is a large reservoir of chemicals that can contribute to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and energy absorbing 90% of the solar radiation which hits the surface. Second, it works with the atmosphere to redistribute the energy received from the sun” (rice) Lastly, the two least known spheres are the cryosphere and cosmosphere. The cryosphere is made up of Earth’s frozen water. There is land ice, such as Greenland, and sea ice, such as floating glaciers that sank the titanic. Recently, there has been concern about the melting glaciers and the Earth’s temperature are warming up. The cosmosphere is the universe surrounding the Earth (ucmp). This includes stars, meteros and other planets we see in the sky. In conclusion, the Earth has many spheres that interact together to create a stable place for all living organisms to live
the earth on a whole or just the people of the earth. The basis of
Ultimately the development of previous inferences and observations which have developed our current model for the Earth’s composition and interior structure are a key concept in understanding our future developments towards resourcing our planet and understanding how it works to a further degree.
the earth that allow the world to be inhabitable. This layer of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases works
Earth By earth they mean dryland and the ground, which consists of soil, dirt and rocks. The earth signifies form, structure, security and stability. Mother Earth is the ancient spiritual symbol which gave us life and formed all living things (plants, animals, etc.). Earth is what nurtures life, its always stable, solid and almost unchanged.
Hydrosphere: This is where the water sphere is located. It is made up of everything
Oceans cover around seventy percent of the Earth’s surface. The oceans of the world have a direct relationship with weather and climate – they influence the weather both locally and globally and the changes in climate in exchange have an affect on properties of the oceans. Changes that occur to the ocean for the most part occur over a much longer period than in the atmosphere. Even if carbon dioxide emissions were to be stabilized today, it would centuries for oceans to adjust to the changes in the atmosphere. When greenhouse gases trap more energy for the sun, oceans then absorb more heat; and in turn there is a rise in sea surface temperatures as well rising sea levels. Oceans do help to reduce climate change due to the fact that they
The Earth’s biosphere is being affected by climate change in numerous ways. The interactions that occur between the hydrosphere and atmosphere are leading to changes in our ocean’s chemistry that could be devastating to humans in the future generations to come. Climate change is the modification in the climate patterns. The effects of climate change have become particularly apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and have been substantially contributed to by the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.
Ocean currents have been known to change direction or slow down. The heat that escapes from the oceans is in the form of water vapor, the most abundant greenhouse gas on Earth. Yet, water vapor also contributes to the formation of clouds and has a net cooling effect.
Air is composed of molecules. Air is matter. It has mass and takes up space. Air is composed of different gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. Air molecules are in constant motion. As they move, they come in contact with surfaces. Air molecules push and press on the surfaces they contact. The amount of force per unit area that air molecules exert on a surface is called air pressure. (What is Air Pressure 6) Air pressure is caused by all of the air molecules in the Earth's atmosphere pressing down on the Earth's surfaces. We can measure air pressure to help us predict weather conditions around the world. Temperature also affects air pressure because air contracts when it cools and expands when it is heated. So if air above a region of Earth cools, it does not extend to as high an altitude as the surrounding air. In this case, its pressure at higher temperature is lower than in the surroundings even when the pressure at the surface is the same as in surrounding areas. Then air flows into the cooler region at high altitude, making the total weight of air above the region greater than in the surroundings. This is a "high". The cool air descends to the earth's surface. Near the surface, the falling air spreads out,
Climate change is evidenced through shifts in the weather patterns such as winds, humidity and temperatures over certain durations. Natural climate changes occur less frequently and they are triggered by factors related to geographical aspects as well as solar radiation. The earth’s movement on the orbit triggers changes in climate, causing some areas to have higher temperatures than usual, while others are significantly cold depending on the position of the earth on the orbit. The heat from the sun causes changes in the stratospheric ozone and it increases the amount of greenhouse gases. Heat from the oceanic crust also contributes to warming as a result of episodic hydrothermal venting (Liao & Sandeberg, 2012).
The four spheres of the Earth system are highly interdependent causing interactions between the spheres to have many cause and effect relationships. A change in one sphere can cause changes in another sphere, which may cause changes in yet another sphere. The biosphere is sustained through interactions with the gasses from the atmosphere, minerals of the lithosphere, and water of the hydrosphere in the energy cycle (Answers.com). The atmosphere is essential for the biosphere because it supplies oxygen, water, CO2 and some nutrients (N) to living organisms, and protects living organisms from temperature extremes and excessive UV radiation (Answers.com). Outside of the biosphere, the atmospheric interacting with the lithosphere and hydrosphere is when the ocean waves are affected by the wind being slowed by friction from the land (Lenkeit). The lithosphere interacts with the hydrosphere and atmosphere through processes such as erosion where rock and soil become removed through physical and chemical weathering.
The greenhouse gases are those that absorb the Earths radiation and thus contribute to the greenhouse effect, but water is also a major absorber of energy. Where there is an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (as with CO2 due to the burning of fossil fuels) this results in an enhanced greenhouse effect - which is of concern as it could lead to climate change (i.e. global warming).
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has liquid water. The ocean contains ninety seven percent of the earth’s water and covers almost three quarters of the planet. There are four different oceans, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Arctic. Tides and currents occur in all three of these oceans. Many different kinds of fish and mammals also make their homes in these oceans. All of these oceans are connected to each other in some way. Humans find oceans to be very interesting, beautiful, and exploring.
Earth is made up of approximately 71% of water. A majority of this water is from the oceans. It is estimated that one fifth of the planet includes oxygen made by plants. The Earth floats around on its axis in 23.434 hours, that being said it takes the earth 365.26 days to circle the sun. Air is around the Earth it thins out the farther it is from the surface.
the earth will cause the oceans to become warmer. When they heat up, more water is evaporated,