Earths Subsystems - Learning Material

Uniqueness of Earth
Earth is different from other planets in the solar system because there is life here. Several factors
necessary to support and sustain life are found on Earth. One of the factors is water which is in liquid form
vital for DNA and proteins to swim around and interact with the environment to carry out the reactions
needed for life. Other planets, because of their distance from the sun, have temperatures that do not
allow water to be in liquid form. Hence, water that remains in solid form (ice) may not be able to dissolve
substances needed for chemical reactions that make life possible. The Earth is within the habitable zones
of stars called the Goldilocks zone (orbits of planets that are neither too hot nor too cold for life to exist).
The present location of Mars (too cold) and Venus (too hot) lie outside this zone.
Earth is unique because it is a living planet and energy flows continuously within its system. Most
of the living processes on Earth depend on the light energy from its star, the sun, which is considered to
be one of the ultimate sources of energy. Within Earth, energy is transformed or converted into a form
that is accessible to all life-forms. The different forms of energy also allow for recycling of molecules and
nutrients needed for life.
Earth’s Subsystems
Earth is composed of four basic subsystems – geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and
biosphere.
Geosphere
The geosphere refers to the solid Earth. It is composed of naturally-occurring solid aggregate of
minerals, organic material, or natural glass called rocks, and loose particles of rocks that blanket the
surface of Earth called regolith. Geosphere also includes geologic landforms such as mountains and hills.
Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere is the totality of Earth’s water, including the permanently frozen parts called
cryosphere. Earth is the only planet in the solar system that contains water in all of its three phases. The
water in the atmosphere is considered separate from that in the hydrosphere, but they are ultimately
connected. Water covers 70 % of the entire surface of Earth, and most of it is ocean water.
Water circulates everywhere on Earth. This is made possible by the interaction of energy and
matter that prompts the transformation of water from one phase to another, allowing it to circulate and
travel to different regions of Earth.
Water moves through the hydrosphere in a cycle. The sun’s energy is the power that drives the
water cycle. Light and heat causes water to evaporate from oceans, lakes, rivers, and other sources of
surface water.
Liquid water on the surface of Earth changes from its liquid state to gaseous state or to water
vapor when temperature increases. The water vapor rises in the atmosphere as gas. When water vapor
combines with tiny particles of dust, smoke, or salt in the air water droplets form. When the water
droplets increase in number, they form clouds. As the water droplets form clouds, precipitation may
occur. Depending on condensing temperature changes, water may fall from the atmosphere in the form
of rain or snow. Liquid water goes back to rivers, lakes, and oceans or seeps through rocks and soils to
reach the water table. Water underground finds its way back into the ocean through slopes and cracks. In
some regions where temperature is below 0 oC, solid water is found in glaciers. Precipitation in the form
of snow may recrystallize to form thick masses of ice called glaciers which contain most of Earth’s water
supply. Again, when water is in the atmosphere, it can go back to the ground during condensation and
evaporation and start the cycle all over again. This whole process is called the hydrological or water cycle.
Because organisms depend mainly on water for survival, the hydrological cycle makes possible the
availability of water in different areas of Earth for organisms to assess it
Source: http://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/resources/water-cycle.php
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is the mixture of gases (nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and water
vapor) that surround the planet. Aside from the presence of important gases in the atmosphere, its
relative abundance is also crucial. The air in the atmosphere is generally composed of 78% nitrogen, 21%
oxygen, 0.9 argon, and the remaining 0.10% is made up of different trace gases.
Biosphere
The biosphere includes all life forms and even organic matter that has not yet decomposed. Most
life on Earth exists within a zone less than 20 km wide, where interactions between the lithosphere,
hydrosphere, and atmosphere create a habitable environment. It also in this zone that the interaction
between the different subsystems is most dynamic.
A key component to Earth’s systems, the biosphere interacts and exchanges matter and energy
with other systems. It helps drive the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and
other elements. Through an ecological point of view, the biosphere encompasses Earth’s ecosystem and
performs all manner of biological functions such as respiration and photosynthesis.
Source: https://byjus.com/physics/four-spheres-of-earth/
The four subsystems are linked systems – any change in one system affects the other three.
The four subsystems are closely linked through the biogeochemical cycles which, as the term
implies, involved biological, geochemical, and chemical factors. For example, the hydrosphere interacts
with the atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere through the water cycle. Water from the ground is
absorbed by plants through osmosis, and then released into the atmosphere through transpiration. Water
vapor in the atmosphere eventually falls as precipitation where portion of it is absorbed by the rocks and
becomes part of the groundwater.
These biogeochemical cycles are pathways by which chemical substance move through both biotic
(biosphere) and abiotic (lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere) components of Earth. It allows the
circulation of important chemical nutrients that form and support life – carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, calcium, and water – through the biological and physical world. It also maintains the balance
of substances in the different subsystems of Earth.
One relevant example is the carbon cycle. In this cycle, carbon can be stored in the biosphere
(within plants), atmosphere (as carbon dioxide), hydrosphere (dissolved as CO2 in the oceans), and
geosphere (as coal and oil deposits). The large scale burning of fossil fuels is increasing the amount of CO2
in the atmosphere by releasing carbon that should have been stored underground. The right amount of
CO2 in the atmosphere helps regulate a temperature range that is conducive to life. However, too much
CO2 in the atmosphere may lead to warmer temperatures, which may eventually lead to global warming
and subsequent climate change.

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Uniqueness of Earth

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