The Four Spheres: Interactions that Shape the World | Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Geosphere

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Learn about the earth's four spheres - the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the geosphere (also called the lithosphere), and how these 4 spheres interact with one another to shape the natural world as we know it.
The geosphere is the outermost solid layer of the earth, made up of the crust and the top part of the mantle. The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surround the earth. It’s the air that animals like you and me breathe, and that plants use for photosynthesis. The hydrosphere contains all of the water on earth in liquid, solid, and vapor form. And finally, the biosphere makes up all of the living things on earth. Plants, animals like me, humans and even tiny bacteria and viruses are all part of the biosphere!
Hydrosphere and Geosphere: The hydrosphere shapes the geosphere through erosion and creates features like caves and waterfalls. When large volcanoes erupt underwater, the water cools the lava and solidifies it. The lava rock builds up over time and sometimes emerges out of the water to form islands!
Hydrosphere and Biosphere: Living beings in the biosphere need water to live. Plant roots absorb water for photosynthesis to create energy, and the water also helps transfer nutrients from the soil to the plants. Animals like Elly need water to live. Humans use water for not just drinking, but also cleaning, farming, cooking, in industry, and many other uses.
Hydrosphere and Atmosphere: Water, mostly from oceans, evaporates into the atmosphere as water vapor, then condenses to form clouds, and then falls back to the earth as rain or snow. Snow melts into rivers, and rivers flow back into oceans. This constant cycle shapes our climate, transports minerals across the globe, and provides us fresh water for drinking and farming.
Atmosphere and Geosphere: Magma, which is part of the geosphere, causes volcanic eruptions which expel gases and ash into the atmosphere. The volcanic ash in the atmosphere can reflect sunlight away from the earth and can sometimes have a global cooling effect, but volcanoes also release carbon dioxide which can raise global temperatures. Volcanic activity is thought to have caused and ended ice ages in earth’s history. The atmosphere also shapes the geosphere through wind erosion. Winds erode dunes and transport sand from one place to another, and over time even make grooves and hollows in rocks, although far slower than water.
Atmosphere and Biosphere: Living beings need air to live. Animals use oxygen to generate energy and release carbon dioxide, and as we’ve learned, plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and release oxygen into the atmosphere.
Geosphere and Biosphere: Many living beings, including humans, now live on the geosphere. Some live in burrows and caves to stay safe from weather and predators. When plants and animals die, their remains enrich the soil which then helps other plants grow. Humans mine the earth and use elements from the geosphere for a variety of purposes, like iron for weapons and buildings, or gold for decoration and currency.
Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
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