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    Land Air and Water

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    api-309710992
    The document describes Earth's four major subsystems or spheres - the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), and atmosphere (air). It provides details on the composition and characteristics of each sphere, including that the lithosphere contains the planet's solid crust, the hydrosphere contains all of Earth's water both on and within the planet, the biosphere contains all living organisms forming ecological communities or biomes, and the atmosphere extends from near the surface to over 10,000 km above containing the planet's air and weather.

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    Land Air and Water

    Uploaded by

    api-309710992
    314 views2 pages
    The document describes Earth's four major subsystems or spheres - the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), and atmosphere (air). It provides details on the composition and characteristics of each sphere, including that the lithosphere contains the planet's solid crust, the hydrosphere contains all of Earth's water both on and within the planet, the biosphere contains all living organisms forming ecological communities or biomes, and the atmosphere extends from near the surface to over 10,000 km above containing the planet's air and weather.

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    The document describes Earth's four major subsystems or spheres - the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), and atmosphere (air). It provides details on the composition and characteristics of each sphere, including that the lithosphere contains the planet's solid crust, the hydrosphere contains all of Earth's water both on and within the planet, the biosphere contains all living organisms forming ecological communities or biomes, and the atmosphere extends from near the surface to over 10,000 km above containing the planet's air and weather.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    314 views2 pages

    Land Air and Water

    Uploaded by

    api-309710992
    The document describes Earth's four major subsystems or spheres - the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), and atmosphere (air). It provides details on the composition and characteristics of each sphere, including that the lithosphere contains the planet's solid crust, the hydrosphere contains all of Earth's water both on and within the planet, the biosphere contains all living organisms forming ecological communities or biomes, and the atmosphere extends from near the surface to over 10,000 km above containing the planet's air and weather.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Name____________________________ Date____________

    Land, Air, and Water


    Everything in Earth's system can be placed into one of four major subsystems:
    land, water, living things, or air. These four subsystems are called "spheres."
    Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living
    things), and "atmosphere" (air).

    The lithosphere contains all of the cold, hard solid land of the planet's crust
    (surface).

    The hydrosphere contains all the solid, liquid, and gaseous water of the planet. It
    ranges from 10 to 20 kilometers in thickness. The hydrosphere extends from Earth's
    surface downward several kilometers into the lithosphere and upward about 12
    kilometers into the atmosphere.

    A small portion of the water in the hydrosphere is fresh (non-salty). This water
    flows as precipitation from the atmosphere down to Earth's surface, as rivers and
    streams along Earth's surface, and as groundwater beneath Earth's surface. Most of
    Earth's fresh water, however, is frozen.

    Ninety-seven percent of Earth's water is salty. The salty water collects in deep
    valleys along Earth's surface. These large collections of salty water are referred to as
    oceans. Water near the poles is very cold, while water near the equator is very warm.
    The differences in temperature cause water to change physical states. Extremely low
    temperatures like those found at the poles cause water to freeze into a solid such as a
    polar icecap, a glacier, or an iceberg. Extremely high temperatures like those found at
    the equator cause water to evaporate into a gas.

    The biosphere contains all the planet's living things. This sphere includes all of
    the microorganisms, plants, and animals of Earth.

    Within the biosphere, living things form ecological communities based on the
    physical surroundings of an area. These communities are referred to as biomes.
    Deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests are three of the many types of biomes that
    exist within the biosphere.

    It is impossible to detect from space each individual organism within the


    biosphere. However, biomes can be seen from space. For example, distinguishing
    between lands covered with plants and those that are not.
    Name____________________________ Date____________

    Land, Air, and Water


    The atmosphere contains all the air in Earth's system. It extends from less than 1
    m below the planet's surface to more than 10,000 km above the planet's surface. The
    upper portion of the atmosphere protects the organisms of the biosphere from the sun's
    ultraviolet radiation. It also absorbs and emits heat. When air temperature in the lower
    portion of this sphere changes, weather occurs. As air in the lower atmosphere is
    heated or cooled, it moves around the planet. The result can be as simple as a breeze
    or as complex as a tornado.

    The atmosphere is made up of many layers that differ in chemical composition


    and temperature. However, we will not differentiate among the layers of the
    atmosphere. The word "atmosphere" will be used in reference to all of the layers.

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