SPHERES OF

THE EARTH
The four subsystems
SPHERES OF
THE EARTH
The four subsystems
The meaning of the
prefixes
• Geo
means Rock
• Hydro
means
Water
• Atmo
means Air
• Bio
means Life
 Earth’s Four Spheres
The Earth is a system consisting of
four major interacting components:
Atmosphere: gaseous envelope that
surrounds the Earth
Geosphere: comprises the solid Earth
and includes both Earth’s surface and the
various layers of the Earth's interior.
Hydrosphere: includes all water on
Earth
Biosphere: the life zone of the Earth
and includes all living organisms
The Earth’s Four Spheres(Subsystem
The Atmosphere
The word atmosphere
comes from the Greek
word ATMOS which
means gas, and SPHAIRA
which means globe or ball
• The atmosphere consists
of five unique layers (the
exosphere,the
troposphere, the
stratosphere, the
mesosphere, and the
 The Atmosphere
The atmosphere
is primarily
composed of
nitrogen (about
78%) and oxygen
(about 21%). Other
components exist in
small quantities.
TROPOSPHER
E
• 80% of the total mass of the atmosphere
• Most of water vapor and all weather associated present
in this layer
• Almost all weather occurs within this layer
• Temperature decreases as altitude increases because at
higher altitude
• The atmosphere becomes thinner and absorbs less solar
radiation
• The bottom of the troposphere is at earth surface
• Air pressure and the density of the air also decrease with
altitude
STRATOSPHERE
• Above the tropopause is the
stratosphere
• Second lowest later
• The layer where the jet planes fly
• Lacks the weather producing air
turbulence and is almost completely
free of clouds and other forms of
weather
• The temperature increases as altitude
increases due to presence of OZONE
• OZONE- absorb ultraviolet rays from
the sun
MESOSPHERE
• THIRD LAYER of the atmosphere
• The layer with decreasing temperature as
altitude increases
• COLDEST REGION in the atmosphere is
in the upper mesosphere
• PROTECTS EARTH FROM
METEOROIDS
- Meteoroids burn up due to the intense
friction between meteoroid and
atmosphere
- Burning meteoroid is seen as shooting
 THERMOSPHERE
• the temperature in this
layer can rise to as high
• IOSNOSPHER-
as 1500°C portion of the
thermosphere
- Consisting of highly- ionized gas
- Used in sending radio waves to
great distance ( help radio
waves pass around Earth)
- KENNELLY- HEAVISIDE LAYER-
the layer of the ionosphere that
reflect radio waves
 Cont. • The ions interact with
air molecules to form
aurora
• Called AURORA
BOREALIS
• Also called northern
lights or aurora australis
also called southern
lights
• Auroras are colorful
displays of light which
often occur in the Arctic
AURORA
 EXOSPHERE

• outermost layer of earth’s

atmosphere of the earth
• Most of the orbiting
satellites, as well as low
density elements like
hydrogen and helium, are
 Hydrosphere
The
hydrosphere
contains all the
water found on
our planet.
Hydro means
water
• is the sphere of
 Hydrosphere
Water found on the surface of our planet
includes the ocean as well as water from
lakes and rivers, streams, and creeks.
• Water found under the surface of our
planet includes water trapped in the soil
and groundwater.
• Water found in our atmosphere
includes water vapor.
• Frozen water on our planet
includes ice caps and glaciers.
The hydrosphere is made up of all the
salt water and fresh water on Earth.

Salt water in
the oceans
and seas.
Fresh water in the
lakes, rivers and streams
and the frozen water on
Earth.
 70% of the
Earth’s surface
is covered in
water that’s why
it is called the
“Water Planet“.
Other forms
of water include
river, streams,
and lakes.
OCEAN ZONES
• Ocean may divided into
layers known ZONES
1.Coastal zone
2.Pelagic zone
 COASTAL
ZONE
The region in which the sea bottom
is exposed during low tide and its
covered during high tide
Adapted to this environment
( sea star, sea urchins and corals)
PELAGIC ZONE
-
• Located seaward
of the coastal
zones low tide
mark
• Always covered
with water
• Two divisions:
• Neritic zone
• Oceanic zone
 Pelagic two division
• Neritic • Oceanic
• Above the continental
shelf • From the edge
• Begins from low tide
mark outward from
of continental
the seashore and shelf and over
extend to a depth of
200 m. the ocean
• Sunlight penetrate
floor
• Many sea animals are
found in this zone • Zero visibility
5 Vertical zone in pelagic
Zone
1. EPIPELAGIC
ZONE/SUNLIGHT ZONE
• 0-200m
• Zone that gets a lot
of sunlight
• Abundance of
aquatic plants
• Common animals
found in this zone
include seals, sea
turtles, sea lion, rays
and sharks
2. MESOPELAGIC ZONE/
TWILIGHT ZONE
• 200-1000 m
• Dim light due to
limited amount
of sunlight
• Only plants and
lily fish, octopus,
and squid are
found in this
region
3. BATHYPELAGIC ZONE OR
MIDNIGHT ZONE
• 1000-4000 m
• Does not receive
any sunlight
• Animals lives
here lack eyes
• Viperfish
anglerfish,
striped eel,
tripod fish
 Striped eel Anglerfish

Viper fish Tripod fish

4. Abyssopelagic or abyss

• 4000-6000 m
• Described deep
sea
• Most animal are
invertebrates
• Blind shrimps,
small squid,
hagfish
 BLIND SHRIMPS

HAGFISH

SMALL SQUID
5. HADALPELAGIC ZONE
OR TRENCHES
• 6000-bottom
• Deepest part of
the ocean
• Found deep
water trenches
and canyon
• Animals here
( sea cucumber
and tube worms)
 Tube worms

Sea cucumber
 The Biosphere
The biosphere is the
“life zone” of the Earth,
and includes all living
organisms (including
humans), and all organic
matter that has not yet
decomposed. Bio is a
 This includes all the plants, animals,
fungus, protists and bacteria on Earth.
The biosphere is divided into biomes
Biomes are the worlds major
communities
The are classifies according to
predominant vegetation and are
characterized by adaptation of
organisms to a particular climate
Five major BIOMES
1.AQUATIC
2.FOREST
3.DESERT
4.TUNDRA
5.GRASSLAND
 1. AQUATIC BIOMES
2 types
• Fresh water • Marine
- ponds, lakes rivers - ocean, coral reef,
estuaries

The aquatic region houses numerous species of

plants and animals
 2. Forest
• INCLUDES:
1.TROPICAL RAINFOREST
2. TEMPERATE FOREST
3.BOREAL FOREST
4.TAIGA
Each type of forest has distinct
features dominated by grasses
rather than large shrubs or tress
 Tropical forest
A tropical rainforest is a
rainforest with a high
rainfall that grows in a
tropical region. Tropical
regions – and therefore
tropical rainforests - are found
near the Equator, an
imaginary line that circles the
 • Temperate forests are
characterized as regions
Temperate forests
with high levels of
precipitation, humidity,
and a variety of
deciduous trees
• Decreasing temperatures
and shortened daylight
hours in fall mean
decreased photosynthesis
for plants. Thus, these
trees shed their leaves
in fall and bud new
leaves in spring when
warmer temperatures
and longer hours of
daylight return.
BOREAL FOREST
• Boreal forests are still full of life
that’s adapted to withstand frigid
temperatures
• boreal forests cover vast
expanses in Canada, Alaska, and
Russia.
• The term “boreal forest” tends to
refer to the southern part of the
biome. The term “taiga” tends to
refer to the northern part of the
biome.
• There is little rainfall in the
boreal biome. Precipitation
comes in the form of fog and
snow, with a little rain during the
 TAIGA
• The taiga is a forest of the
cold, subarctic region. The
subarctic is an area of the
Northern Hemisphere that lies
just south of the Arctic Circle.
• The soil beneath
the taiga often
contains permafrost—a layer
of permanently frozen soil.
• Conifers have adapted to survi
ve the long, cold winters and
short summers of the taiga
Conifers
 3. DESERT
• Is characterized by
low rainfall less
than 50cm/year)
• Most desert have
specialized
vegetation, as
well aqs
specialized
animals adapted
to its condition
 • THE COLDEST
OF ALL BIOMES
4. TUNDRA
• Tundra is known
for large
stretches of bare
ground and rock
and for patchy
mantles of low
vegetation
suchas mosses,
lichens, herbs,
and small shrubs.
 5. Grassland Biome
TYPES
• SAVANNAH • TEMPERATE GRASS LAND
• areas that have a warm • known for their rich
climate with a rainy soil that yields
season and a dry season abundant growth of
• precipitation falls during grasses.
just a few months of the
• found in places such
year
as North America
• long dry season that
and Eastern Europe.
inhibits the growth of
trees. • converted into fields
• Savannas and their for crops or grazing
abundant wildlife are land for cattle.
savannah
Temperate grassland
 The geosphere
Geosphere is the solid Earth
(soil ,rocks,
minerals) that
includes the
continental and
ocean crust as well
the various layers of
Earth’s interior.
Geo is a Greek word that means
ground.
This includes the rock on the
surface and the interior.
• Each of these spheres is
also considered a system
because they are always
moving and being recycled.
• In the biosphere the life
forms have a lifespan and
when they die they provide
nourishment for other
organisms.
• In the geosphere, the rocks
are endlessly being broken
down, then recycled into
• In the hydrosphere,
the water is endlessly
moving, changing
states and becoming
refreshed.
• In the atmosphere, the
air is continually
rising, falling and
mixing.
 How about the biosphere and
the hydrosphere?

• All living
things
require
water to
live.
• Many
animals live
The spheres / systems are
endlessly interacting.