EARTH

CLIMATE
The Earth’s
Subsystem

Earth’s Spheres
Earth System

• System
- a set of interconnected
components that are interacting to
form a whole unified whole.
• Earth system
- is essentially a closed system.
It receives energy from the sun and
returns some of this energy to space
Earth’s Sphere

• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Lithosphere
• Biosphere

• Cryosphere
 Atmosphere
• A thin gaseous
sphere and it
envelopes the Earth
(lithosphere)

• Consists of a mixture
of gases composed
primarily of 78%
nitrogen, 21%
oxygen, 0.9% argon
,carbon dioxide, and
water vapor.
 Lithosphere
• The Earth's solid
surface, often
called the crust of
the earth. It
includes
continental and
oceanic crust as
well as the various
layers of the
Earth's interior.
Biosphere
• All life on earth,
including man,
and all organisms.

• The life zone on our

planet – it covers all
ecosystems- from the
rainforest,mangroves
, coral reefs up to the
deep sea
Hydrosphere
• All of the water
on Earth (70%)

• Only 3% of
Earth’s water is
fresh: 2/3 in the
form of ice, 1/3
is present in
streams,lakes
and
groundwater
 Cryosphere
• The portion of the
Earth's surface
where water is in a
solid form

• Snow or ice:
includes glaciers,
ice shelves, snow,
icebergs, and arctic
climatology
 Interconnected Spheres
• Spheres are closely connected
• Changes are often chain reactions
• A change in one sphere results in changes in
others - called an event
– Forest fire destroys plants in an area
– Earthquake, hurricane, forest fires- NATURAL EVENT
– Oil spill, air pollution, construction-HUMAN CAUSED EVENTS
• Interactions between spheres
– No plants => erosion
– Soil in water => increased turbidity
– Turbidity => impacts water plants/animals
Event <=> Sphere
• Causes & Effects

• Interactions

• Event <=>Sphere
• Sphere<=>Sphere
 EARTH SPHERE Analysis
You have contact with the different
spheres almost every day:

• When you climb a mountain, or dig a

hole, or take a walk, you are contacting
the lithosphere.
• When you drink water or go swimming
you are contacting the hydrosphere.
• When you hold an ice cube in your hand
or shovel snow you are contacting the
cryosphere.
• When you play with your pets or
eat your lunch or talk to your
friends, you are contacting the
biosphere.
• Every time you breathe or perspire
on a hot day or fly a kite, you are
contacting the atmosphere.
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!