Spheres of the Earth

The earth is made up of four main spheres which allow us to live and function. These

layers must exist in harmony and work together or our Earth would fall apart.

The Four Realms of Earth!

•Atmosphere•Lithosphere•Hydrosphere•Biosphere

Atmosphere

• Gaseous layer which surrounds the Earth• Receives heat and moisture from the surface

and redistributes it• Warms the Earth• Without it all living things would die• Consists of a mixture of gases composed

primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.

Lithosphere

• Often called the Earth’s crust• Outermost solid layer of Earth• It’s what we’re all standing on• Includes continental and oceanic crust• Solid bedrock with a layer of soil• It’s surface is filled with all sorts of landforms

– habitats for animals, plants, humans, etc.

Hydrosphere

• Liquid realm• All the Earth’s water: rain, ponds, lakes,

rivers, oceans, ice cap, glaciers• Earth is made up of 70% water, which is why

we’re sometimes called the “Water Planet”

Biosphere

• First one hundred meters is referred to as the “life layer”

• Includes all life an Earth: plants, animals and people

• This sphere connects it all together

All four work together

• Spheres of Earth

The Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere CONNECTION!

• How is it all connected?– All four spheres are directly and indirectly

connected– Any change the occurs on one sphere can and

will affect the others– Changes often cause chain reactions– The connection takes place on the “Life Sphere”

located on the Biosphere• For Example: Forest Fire, Earthquake, Pollution• Can be caused naturally or by people

Most famous Interaction: Water cycle

Water Cycle = Hydrologic Cycle• Take a look at this glass of water and put it on the table next to you.

Take a good long look at the water. Now -- can you guess how old it is? •

• The water in your glass may have fallen from the sky as rain just last week, but the water itself has been around pretty much as long as the

earth has! • When the first fish crawled out of the ocean onto the land, your glass of

water was part of that ocean. When the Brontosaurus walked through lakes feeding on plants, your glass of water was part of those lakes.

When kings and princesses, knights and squires took a drink from their wells, your glass of water was part of those wells.

• And you thought your parents were OLD!

Parts of the Hydrologic Cycle

• Evaporation (and transpiration) - Infiltration & Runoff

• Condensation • Precipitation • Collection

Step 1: Evaporation

• Evaporation: Evaporation is when the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes up into the atmosphere.

And plants?

• Do plants sweat?• Well, sort of.... people perspire (sweat) and

plants transpire. Transpiration is the process by which plants lose water out of their leaves. Transpiration gives evaporation a bit of a hand in getting the water vapor back up into the air.

Runoff & Infiltration

• These two happen at the same time (simultaneously) with Evaporation, because some of the water evaporates too

• Infiltration is when precipitation is absorbed into the ground

• Runoff happens when too much precipitation falls too quickly and it “runs” over the ground

• In both cases the sun can warm it and it can evaporate to take part of the Hydrologic Cycle

Step 2: Condensation

• Water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid, forming clouds. This is called condensation.

• You can see the same sort of thing at home... pour a glass of cold water on a hot day and watch what happens. Water forms on the outside of the glass. That water didn't somehow leak through the glass! It actually came from the air. Water vapor in the warm air, turns back into liquid when it touches the cold glass

Step 3: Precipitation

• Precipitation occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.

Step 4: Collection

• When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land. When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts

• all over again.

Hydrologic Cycle #1

Hydrologic Cycle #2

Hydrologic Cycle #3

Hydrologic Cycle in Action

• Hydrologic Cycle in Action

• Water Cycle - Simplified

Demonstration

Our indoor Water Cycle!