How Do the Earth's Four Subsystems Work Together?

Scientists divide the planet into two 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 affect life all over the Earth.

Dry Land: Many Call it Home

Unless you live in the air like a bird, you make your home in the lithosphere along with all
other life forms that live on land. The lithosphere, which consists of the Earth's crust and
upper mantle, also contains rocks, forests, mountains and all the earth's other landforms. It
depth is about 100 kilometers (22 miles). The lithosphere always changes because of
geological processing happening above and below ground.

The Air You Breathe

Perched above the other subsystems you'll find the atmosphere. Essential to life on the
planet, it only makes up about 0.07 percent of the Earth's mass. The atmosphere contains
several layers including the troposphere, a layer that interacts with the other subsystems.
Although oxygen is a critical gas that sustains life, the lower atmosphere only contains 20.95
percent oxygen and 78.08 percent nitrogen. The atmosphere is always in motion responding
to temperature changes that occur in other parts of the Earth system.

Let There be Water

The hydrosphere contains the planet's water whether it's in the oceans, lakes or rivers. It also
consists of water vapor that condenses to form clouds. The atmosphere can also affect the
hydrosphere. For instance, the ocean's temperature changes when the air temperature
fluctuates. These temperature changes, in turn, can help spawn hurricanes that affect the
other subsystems. The ocean is the hydrosphere's largest component.

Cold as Ice

Similar to the hydrosphere, the cryosphere also contains the planet's water. However, this
subsystem consists of solid water. That water may be in the form of glaciers, snow, ice in the
ocean, permafrost and even frozen ground. Changes in temperature and sea levels can have
a major effect on the cryosphere, especially when warmer temperatures cause ice to melt.
Melting ice can affect polar bears and other life in this subsystem. Because ice reflects
sunlight and oceans absorb it, less ice due to melting can translate into higher temperatures.
 What are the Earth System’s Four Spheres?
Planet Earth is made up of four overlapping subsystems that contain all of world’s land masses,
water sources, living organisms, and gases. These four subsystems are known as spheres.

Geographers break down the Earth’s systems into four spheres that make up the world’s air
(atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), land (geosphere), and living organisms (biosphere).

Abiotic and Biotic Spheres

Three of these spheres are abiotic and one sphere is biotic.

Abiotic describes substances that are made from non-living materials.

Biotic relates to living things like bacteria, birds, mammals, insects, and plants.

In this breakdown, all of the Earth’s water is included in the hydrosphere.

This includes surface water (such as rivers, lakes, and oceans), water in the ground, ice and snow,
and water in the atmosphere in the form of water vapor. Related:  Water on Earth
Atmosphere

The Earth’s atmosphere is the gaseous layer that envelopes the world. The commons term for
the atmosphere is “air”.

The Earth’s atmosphere is held around the planet by the force of gravity.

Layers of the Atmosphere

The Earth’s atmosphere has five main layers and a sixth layer, the ionosphere, that overlaps the
mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

Troposphere: The Densest Layer in the Atmosphere

The bottom layer, which is the layer closest to the Earth, is the kdensest of the five layers. This
layer is known as the troposphere.

The troposphere is the layer of the Earth’s atmosphere that humans live and breathe in.
The troposphere starts at ground level and extends to 10 kilometers in altitude.

The troposphere is also the layer where almost all clouds form because 99% of the water in the
Earth’s atmosphere is found in this layer.

This layer mostly contains a mixture of mostly nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and argon (0.9%).
In addition, trace gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, and ozone) account for
another tenth of a percent.

Water vapor, dust particles, pollutants, and pollen also can be found in mixed into the
atmosphere at this level.

The higher the altitude, the thinner the atmosphere is.

Stratosphere: Home to the Earth’s Ozone Layer

The next layer is the stratosphere. This layer is the layer that contains the Earth’s ozone layer.
Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere has no turbulence. Unlike the air in the troposphere,
the air in the stratosphere gets warmer higher up in this layer.
Mesosphere: Highest Layer that has Mixed Gases

Above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere is the mesosphere. This layer in the Earth’s
atmosphere is the highest layer in which the gases are still mixed up rather than layered  (not to
be confused with the exosphere which is the highest layer in Earth’s atmosphere).
The mesosphere is the layer where meteors entering the Earth’s atmosphere break up.

There are enough gases in the mesosphere to create friction which causes the meteors to burn
up. We can see those at night as shooting stars.

Thermosphere: Thin Atmosphere

Above the mesosphere is the thermosphere.

The atmosphere in the thermosphere is very thin.

Temperatures can reach up to 4,500 Fahrenheit due to high-energy X-rays and UV radiation
from the Sun. There aren’t enough gas molecules to transfer this heat.

Many Earth orbiting satellites and the International Space Station are found in this layer.
Exosphere: Highest Layer in the Atmosphere

The uppermost layer of the Earth’s atmosphere is the exosphere.

The atmosphere is extremely thin in the exosphere with gases like hydrogen and helium.

Ionosphere: Overlaps the Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere

The ionosphere is an active part of the Earth’s atmosphere that overlaps the the
mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

Like its name, the ionosphere is the ionized part of the Earth’s atmosphere and is found between
48 km (30 mi) to 965 km (600 mi) altitude.

Auroras occur in the ionosphere where high-energy particles from the sun interacting with the
atoms in this layer.

To sum, the five mains layers in the Earth’s atmosphere are:

 Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km (440 to 6,200 miles)

 Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles)
 Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles)
 Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles)
 Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles)

Hydrosphere

All of the water on Earth is known collectively as the Earth’s hydrosphere. This is water found in
the air, the soil, in glaciers, the oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams of the world.

Water is found in all three states on Earth which are gas, liquid, and solid.

As gas, water is found as water vapor in the atmosphere.

In liquid form water is found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans along with mist in the
air and as dew on the surface of the ground.

Water is found in solid form as ice and snow.

Lithosphere

The lithosphere contains the elements of the Earth crust and part of the upper mantle. This is
the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth.

The term is taken from the Greek word lithos meaning “rocky”. This part of the Earth includes
soil.
Biosphere

The biosphere covers all living organisms on Earth.

There is an estimated 20 million to 100 million different species in the world organized into the
100 phyla that make up the five kingdoms of life forms.

These organisms can be found in almost all parts of the geosphere. There are organisms in the
air, soil, and water on Earth.

Earth Divided into Two Major Systems

Some scientists organized of the parts of the Earth can be divided into two main systems. These
two systems include all the organic and inorganic matter of the world.

Every living and non-living thing on Earth falls under one of these two main spheres which are
the Earth’s geosphere and biosphere.

As with the four-system organization, the biosphere represents all of the Earth’s living
organisms.

The geosphere is the collective name for the earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and
cryosphere.

The atmosphere is the space above the Earth’s surface. This includes the air that we all breath.
The lithosphere is the solid part of the Earth such as rocks and mountains.

The hydrosphere is the liquid water such as the rivers, lakes, and oceans.

The cryosphere is the frozen water of the earth and is further broken into four types: glaciers,
snow cover, floating ice, and permafrost.
The Geosphere
The geosphere includes all the elements that form the crust and core of the Earth. Rocks and sand
particles ranging from drylands to those found at the bottom of the ocean are examples of the
geosphere. Examples also involve minerals, lava, molten magma and mountains. The geosphere
undergoes constant processes that modify other spheres. One of the examples is the rock cycle.
In this cycle, the melted rock from below the Earth’s crust is blown out to the surface through vents as
lava. Hardened lava, together with rock materials, is weathered and eroded from earth movements. The
eroded particles end up somewhere and build up. After many years of buildup, the pressure from the
overlying weight causes them to bury themselves more in-depth in the crust. They are melted by the
extreme heat until they are spewed out to the surface again. You may have noticed that this cycle
doesn’t conclude on its own. It is affected by other factors such as the wind, temperature and water,
which are a part of other spheres.

The Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere includes all the water parts of the planet. It includes water on the surface,
subsurface and water vapour in the atmosphere. It undergoes infinite processes every day. The
water cycle is one way to understand what is the importance of the hydrosphere, its functions and
how it supports other spheres.
The ocean and water bodies absorb the sun’s energy and warm up. Transpiration by trees and
evaporation of surface water occurs. The water vapour in the atmosphere condenses to form rain
clouds and comes down as rain. The rain falls into water bodies and the cycle continues. Other
spheres are also impacted during the water cycle.

The Biosphere
The Biosphere comprises all the living components of the Earth. It also includes organic matter that has
not yet decayed. The sphere hugely depends on the other three spheres as follows:

 The hydrosphere replenishes plants and animals with water and moisture.
 The geosphere renders a solid surface for the plants and animals to inhabit. It also provides heat
from beneath the earth.
 The atmosphere screens the sun’s UV radiation and helps us receive just enough of the sun’s
heat.
A theory known as the ecosystem better explains the interaction of the biosphere with the other
spheres.
The Atmosphere
The gaseous component above the surface of the Earth is known as the atmosphere. It is made of
gaseous components and tiny water particles. The gases in the atmosphere are kept in place by the
force of gravity. The heat from the sun is radiated to the Earth and is reflected in the atmosphere.
The heat from the sun warms up the surface of the earth and causes evaporation, thereby sending
moisture into the atmosphere.

The atmosphere comes in layers and the illustration below shows the different layers of the
atmosphere. The troposphere is the layer closest to Earth. Humans, animals and plants live in this
layer. Birds and aeroplanes also fly in this layer of the atmosphere. In the layers above the
troposphere, the air becomes thinner. Beyond the exosphere is space.

How Do The Earth’s Spheres Interact With Each Other?

No sphere works on its own. All the spheres in the system interact and overlap. In the section, we
shall discuss the various interactions that occur among the spheres:

1. Hydrosphere and Atmosphere

The evaporation that occurs in the hydrosphere forms the medium for cloud and rain formation in the
atmosphere. The atmosphere brings back this water to the hydrosphere in the form of rain.

2. Hydrosphere and Geosphere

Hydrosphere provides the necessary moisture required to weather and erode rocks in the
geosphere. The geosphere, in turn, allows the ice to melt and the water bodies to flow back into the
oceans.

3. Atmosphere and Geosphere

The atmosphere provides the required heat and energy for the breakdown and erosion of rock in the
geosphere. The geosphere, in turn, reflects the sun’s energy to the atmosphere.

4. Biosphere and Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Geosphere

The biosphere receives sunlight and gases from the atmosphere. It collects water from the
hydrosphere and a living medium from the geosphere.
All four spheres can often be found in a single location. For example, the soil may contain minerals
from the geosphere, moisture within the soil from the hydrosphere, insects and plants from the
biosphere inhabiting the soil and pockets of air present between the soil pieces. From this, we can
conclude that the complete system is what makes life as we know it.
REFERENCES:
 https://gml.noaa.gov/outreach/info_activities/pdfs/TBI_earth_spheres.pdf
 https://education.seattlepi.com/earths-four-subsystems-work-together-4634.html
 https://www.geographyrealm.com/what-are-the-earths-systems/
 https://byjus.com/physics/four-spheres-of-earth/