Earths Major systems

The geosphere is the solid earth that includes continental and the ocean crust as well as the multiple layers of the earth's interior. Ninety four percent of the earth is composed of the elements oxygen, iron, silica, and magnesium, and the interior of the earth is layered both chemically and mechanically. The geosphere is not static, but its surface is in a constant state of motion that gives rise to movement of the continents. This explains the theory of the continental drifts. The atmosphere is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the earth and constitutes the transition between its surface and the vacuum of space. The atmosphere consists of a mixture of gases composed primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. It extends 500 km above the surface of the earth and the lower level which is the troposphere and constitutes the climate system that maintains the conditions suitable for life on the planet's surface. The next atmospheric level, the stratosphere which contains the ozone layer, aids in filtering out the bad U.V. rays that come from the sun. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been depleting the ozone layer with all of the fossil fuel that we have been burning. We have now started to worry about all the damage that we have put on the ozone layer. By us doing this there has been rising concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chloroflurocarbons in the atmosphere because these gases trap heat energy emitted from the earth surface and increase global temperatures. In addition, chloroflurocarbons are effective at depleting the Earth's ozone shield that protects the earth surface from the harmful effects of U.V. rays. And this is one very good example of how all the air pollution can hurt and deplete our atmosphere.

The hydrosphere is the make-up of all the water on the earth. The earth is made up of 71% water and only 29% is land, The earth is the only planet in our solar system that is able to have water on it. Because it has just the right mass and the right chemical composition, the right atmosphere, and is the right distance from the sun. When the coral reef gets destroyed little by little it is actually killing off many animals. Many need these coral reefs to stay alive and to exist here. So the hydrosphere does bring many advantages to our planet, and the biggest one is water.The biosphere is the life zone of the Earth and includes all living organisms, including man, and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed. The biosphere is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain whereby all life is dependent upon the first tier. Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to the next with an efficiency of about 10%. All organisms are intrinsically linked to their physical environment and the relationship between an organism and its environment is the study of ecology. The biosphere is divided into ecosystems that represent the interactions between a group of organisms.









The Atmosphere





Biosphere






I got my information from:
http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Introduction/Biosphere.html