SUBSYSTEMS OF THE

EARTH
The Four Spheres
 ESSENTIAL QUESTION
 What are the four spheres of the
Earth?

 How do these spheres interact?

 BIOSPHERE
 The biosphere contains all the
planet’s living things.
 Within the biosphere, living things
form ecological communities based
on the physical surroundings of an
area.
 GEOSPHERE
 The Geosphere contains all of the
cold, hard solid land of the
planet’s crust (surface), the semi-
solid and underneath the crust,
and the liquid land near the
center of the planet.
 HYDROSPHERE
 The hydrosphere contains all the
solid, liquid, and gaseous water of
all planet.
 It ranges from 10 to 20 kilometers in
thickness.
 Ninety-seven percent of Earth’s
water is salty.
 ATMOSPHERE
 The atmosphere contains all the air
in Earth’s system.
 It extend from less 1 m below the
planet’s surface to more than 10,000
km above the planet’s surface.
 Gas content: 78%- Nitrogen; 21%-
Oxygen; 1%- Other gasses.
How Do the Earth’s Four Subsystem Work
Together?
 Scientists divide the planet into to main
components: the biosphere, which consists of
all life, and the geosphere. The geosphere has
four subsystems called the lithosphere,
hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere.
Because these subsystems interact with each
other and the biosphere, they work together to
influence the climate, trigger geological
processes, and effect life all over the Earth.
How Do These Subsystem Interact?
Sample only.
›Humans (biosphere) built dam out of rock
materials (geosphere)
›Water in the lake (hydrosphere) sleep into the
cliff walls behind the dam, becoming ground
water (geosphere), or evaporating into the air
(atmosphere).
›Humans (biosphere) hamess energy from the
water (hydrosphere) by having the spin turbines
(geosphere) to produce electricity.
QUIZ!!!!!
GOODLUCK GUYS
1. It contains all the solid, liquid, and gaseous water of the planet.
2. The geosphere has four subsystems what are they?
3. Which subsystems contains all living organisms of Earth, including those on the
land , in the water and air?
4. Contains all the air in Earth’s system.
5. How do the four subsystems work together?
6. What is Earth’s largest system?
7. The geosphere is…..
a. a liquid water on Earth.
b. a 100km thick layer of gases.
c. frozen water on Earth.
d. Earth’s entire solid body.
8. Atmo=
a. land
b. life
c. water
d. air
9.What are the four spheres on the Earth?
10. Geo=
a. earth b. sphere c. life d. water