Earth’s 7 Systems

By: Le’Isys Diaz

What are Earth’s Systems & why are they important?
- Earth is made up of 7 working subsystems What are the names of the
that make up our planet. These “Spheres”
Spheres that make up earth?
work together to show how our planet
functions. 1. Geosphere
- Earth is a dynamic planet; the continents, 2. Hydrosphere
atmosphere, oceans, ice, and life are the 3. Biosphere
major key subsystems that work together in 4. Atmosphere
our planet. 5. Cryosphere
- If one of these sphere’s stopped 6. Exosphere
functioning; weather would cease with no 7. Anthrosphere
water cycle, plants and trees wouldn’t grow,
animals could not breathe without oxygen, * Notice how all of the
surface ocean currents would stop moving subsystems have the word
without wind. “Sphere” in them.*
 1. Geosphere, Also Known as the
“Lithosphere”
What is the geosphere? Why is it important?

● The “Geosphere” represents the earth. The geosphere contains the

earth’s crust (surface), the semi crust that has the semi-solid land
underneath, and the earth’s core.
● If earth could be represented as anything it would be a cake or an onion.
i say this because if you were to cut into the cake or onion, there layers
would be the same compared to the earth.
● The solid, semi-solid, and liquid land of the geosphere form layers that
are both physically and chemically different.
● The outermost layer of the lithosphere consists of loose soil that provides
oxygen,nutrients, and silicon.
● The semi-solid layer is a thick mantle of oxygen,silicon, iron, and
magnesium.
● Below the semi-solid is the layers outer core is made up of iron and nickel
● In the center of the earth, the core is made up of nickel and iron.
 2. Hydrosphere
What is the hydrosphere? What role does it play as a
subsystem?

1. The “Hydrosphere” contains all of the water on the

planet, ranging from 10-20 kilometers in thickness
in different places of the earth & in different forms.
2. A small portion of the Hydrosphere is fresh water
( not saltwater). 97% of earth’s water is salt water.
The large collections of salt water are what we refer
to as “oceans”
3. This water flows as precipitation from the
atmosphere down to earth’s surface.
4. The hydrosphere plays a major role in keeping
ecosystems and regulating the atmosphere.
5. Without the hydrosphere we wouldn’t exist. Water
helps plants grow, and provides a habitat.
 3.
Biosphere
What is the biosphere? Why is it called the biosphere?

● The “biosphere” contains all living things. This Sphere

includes all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals
on earth.
● The root word “bio” comes from the greek word “Vios”
meaning “Life”.
● In the biosphere, living things form ecological
communities based on physical surrounding of an area.
These communities are called “biomes”.
● Deserts, tropical rainforests, and grasslands are the
three many biosphere that exist within the biosphere.( 3
out of 7 biomes to be exact}
● The 3 parts of the biosphere is: lithosphere,
hydrosphere, and atmosphere. These 3 parts of the
biosphere, are what make up the biosphere. Without
one of these parts doing their job, the biosphere
wouldn’t function.
 4. Atmosphere
What does Atmosphere mean? Why is it apart of Earth’s spheres ?

● The “Atmosphere” contains all the air in earth’s system. The

greek root word “atmos” means “steam or vapor”.
● The upper portion of the atmosphere protects the organisms
of the biosphere from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
● If we didn’t have the atmosphere, we wouldn’t survive. Plants
and animals would die. It also absorbs emits heat.
● The 5 layers that make up the Atmosphere are: troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and the
exosphere .
● The atmosphere is protected by it’s layer of gasses that shelters
life on Earth. These 5 layers are determined by the changes in
the temperature that happen with increasing altitude.
● 80% of the weight of the atmosphere is located in the
troposphere; the layer that’s closest to earth.
 5. Cryosphere
What is the Cryosphere? Why is apart of earth’s
spheres?

● The “Cryosphere” is the frozen water part of

the earth system. It’s important role in
keeping a balance with the earth’s climate
and with the other’s spheres .
● The cryosphere is an important part of the
global climate system; it influences the
surface energy, clouds, precipitation,
hydrology, and the way both air and water
move about in the atmosphere and oceans.
● The cryosphere is important to
understanding how the climate of earth
works and how it affects global climate.
 6. Exosphere
What’s the exosphere?

● The “Exosphere” is the outermost region of

earth, and it’s also the thinnest layer earth
has.
● There are very small molecules in this layer;
the lightest atmospheric such as hydrogen
and helium exist throughout the exosphere.
● There are two borders to the exosphere; the
lower boundary and the upper boundary
● The exosphere is the the very edge of our
atmosphere. This layer separates the rest of
the atmosphere from outer space; it’s about
6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) thick.
7. Anthrosphere
What’s the Anthrosphere? Why a separate sphere
for humans?

● The “ Anthrosphere” surrounds the total

human presence throughout the earth’s system
including the culture, technology, and built
environment.
● The anthrosphere is comprised by cities,villages,
farms,mines, energy and transportation
networks--- the basic mark of civilization.
● For much of our existence, human impacts were
comparable; as the numbers grew, we departed
from other common mammals on earth.
 How are the spheres being impacted
by humans?
● Lithosphere: deforestation, farms, earthquakes,volcanoes, use of land, mining,
● Atmosphere: triggered climate change, overpopulation,pollution, burning fossil fuels, undrinkable water,
soil erosion, poor air quality
● Biosphere: deforestation,pollution, burning of fossil fuels, high concentrations of greenhouse gases trap
more heat in the biosphere and result in global warming,
● Cryosphere: global warming, transportation, security, hydropower, fisheries, recreation, floods and
droughts, agriculture,
● Hydrosphere: improper sewage, using water for farming , deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, toxic
chemicals, Inadvertent and deliberate discharge of petroleum,
● Exosphere: air pollution
● Anthrosphere ( the human equivalent of the biosphere) : i guess wanting to launch things into orbit in
space could cause deforestation.. ( I actually don’t know)