COMPONENTS OF THE

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM
THE GEOSPHERE
 GEOSPHERE
• The solid portions of the Earth
• Includes all rocks, sediments and solids
that shape the Earth’s surface
• 94% of the solid Earth is composed of
oxygen, iron, silicon, and magnesium
• Composed of 4 layers:
• Crust
• Inner core
• Outer core
• Mantle
 CRUST
• Top layer of the geosphere
• Less than one percent of the Earth’s volume
• Tectonic plates are located beneath the crust
• Composed of Igneous, Metamorphic, and
Sedimentary rocks.
• Oceanic crust(4-9 km thick)
• Continental crust (30 -70 km thick)
 MANTLE
• Second layer of the geosphere
• 84% of the Earth’s volume
• Composed of silicate rocks rich in
magnesium and iron
• Temperatures between 871° – 4000° C
 LIQUID OUTER CORE
• Third layer
• Composed of liquid iron and nickel
• Temperature can reach up to 5,000° C
 SOLID INNER CORE
• Fourth layer
• Composed of iron
• Temperatures can reach up to 6,000°C
THE HYDROSPHERE
 HYDROSPHERE
• Made up of any form of water
• Includes water that is on the surface of the planet,
underground, and in the air
• 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water
• Salt water
• 97 %
• Freshwater
•3%
THE CRYOSPHERE
 CRYOSPHERE
• Any frozen water, whether on land or in the water
• Ice caps, glaciers, snow, permafrost, frozen bodies of water
• 2% of the water on earth
THE ATMOSPHERE
 ATMOSPHERE
• Composed of water vapor, 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and
0.03% carbon dioxide
• About 300 miles thick
 TROPOSPHERE
• Lowest layer of the atmosphere
• From Earths surface to about 10km
• Most of the mass is in this layer
• Most clouds are found here
• Almost all weather occurs in this layer
• Temperatures drop with altitude
 STRATOSPHERE
• 2nd layer of the atmosphere
• 10 km – about 50km
• Most commercial aircraft fly here to avoid turbulence
• Ozone is abundant
• It absorbs energy from UV light
• Temperatures rise with altitude
• Very dry, contains little water vapor
 MESOSPHERE
• 3rd layer of the atmosphere
• From about 50 to 85 km
• Temperature decreases with height
• Coldest temps in the atmosphere are found here (-130° F)
• Little is known about this level
• Weather balloons and aircraft cannot fly high enough
Most meteors vaporize in the mesosphere
 THERMOSPHERE
• 4th layer
• About 90km to between 500 and 1,000 km
• Typically about 200° C
• Air density is low
• Normally what we think of as outer space
• Space shuttle and International Space Station orbit here
• Much of the UV radiation from the sun is absorbed here
• The aurora (Northern lights) occur in the thermosphere
• Charged particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the
thermosphere causing them to emit photons of light
THE BIOSPHERE
 BIOSPHERE
• The parts of Earth where life exits
• From the deepest root systems of trees, to deep ocean trenches, to high
mountaintops
• The biosphere overlaps with all of the other spheres
• Desert
• Deserts have extreme temperature conditions (> 30ºC during day ; < 0ºC at night) and very
low precipitation
• Dominant plant species are xerophytes which are adapted for water conservation (rainfall is
< 30 cm per year)
• Deciduous forest
• Temperate forests (deciduous forests) have moderate temperatures and clear seasonal
changes
• They have a growing period of ~200 days during 4 – 6 frost free months
• Rainforest
• Hot climate (25ºC – 30ºC) with very high levels of precipitation (> 250 cm per year) 
• Has a large diversity in species and vegetation includes epiphytes, tall trees and
undergrowth
• Grassland
• Temperate grasslands have moderate temperatures and moderate amounts of rainfall
• Trees and shrubs are largely absent and grasses are the dominant vegetation
• Tundra
• Tundras have freezing temperatures (< 0ºC) and very little precipitation
• Vegetation is low growing (e.g. mosses), although perennial plants may grow during the
summer

• Taiga
• Taigas (coniferous forests) are cold and icy (0ºC – 15ºC) with a small amount of
precipitation
• Coniferous trees are densely packed and there is little variation in species
• Savanna
• Savannahs are warm (20ºC – 30ºC) with medium amounts of moisture,
although seasonal droughts are common
• Trees are intermittent and widely spaced, with occasional fires preventing
thicker vegetation from encroaching

• Salt water
• The marine biome is the biggest biome in the world
• It covers about 70% of the earth.
• It includes five main oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern,
as well as many smaller Gulfs and Bays.
• Fresh water
• a low salt concentration — usually less than 1%. 
• Lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, wetlands