Copy - 4.4 Spheres of Earth

Module 4 Lesson 4

Earth's Spheres & Systems

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Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
• explain interactions among the geosphere, hyrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
• compare and contrast interactions among the geosphere, hyrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere

Earth's Spheres KWL

The Earth is a complex system

A system refers to parts of a whole that work together. The Earth is an amazing system with different parts that change the Earth's surface over time. Energy causes matter to move all around the Earth system.

The Earth is a complex system

Where does the energy for the Earths' system come from?

• The sun radiates energy that reaches the surface of the Earth

• The Earth has a hot, metal core at its center

• The Earth has gravity which pulls things down to the lowest places on the surface

Word Parts

In your own words, write the meaning of these vocabulary word parts.

Let's look at the different parts of the Earth system more closely

Click on each term to learn more!

Hydrosphere

Biosphere

Atmosphere

Geosphere

Cryosphere

Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere refers to all the water on Earth.

• Almost 75% of the Earth is covered in water.

• About 98% of the water on Earth is saltwater.

• About 2% of the Earth's water is freshwater and most of that is found as ice near the north and south poles.

• Water moves around the Earth in the water cycle.

Annotate on the screen:

Circle the images that belong to the Hydrosphere

Cryosphere

The Cryosphere is all the ice on Earth.

• Includes frozen continental ice sheets, glaciers, icebergs, snow, and more.

• A glacier is a frozen river of ice made from compacted snow. Glaciers flow downhill justl ike rivers do - only very slowly.

Annotate on the screen:

Circle the images that belong to the Cryosphere

Biosphere

The Biosphere refers to all the living organisms on Earth.

• Includes plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and all other living things.

• Some ecosystems on Earth have many diverse organisms like rainforests or coral reefs.
• Some ecosystems of the Earth can't support as many different species of organisms - like deserts or certain sections of the ocean floor.

Annotate on the screen:

Circle the images that belong to the Biosphere

Atmosphere

The Atmosphere is the layer of gasses that surrounds our planet (the air around us).

• Air is made of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon and smaller amounts of trace gasses.

• There is also water vapor, dust, pollen, spores, and many other tiny things floating in the air.

Layers of the Atmosphere

Annotate on the screen:

Circle the images that belong to the Atmosphere

Geosphere

The Geosphere is all the rock that makes up the surface of our planet.

• It is also known as the Lithosphere

• The Earth is constantly recycling rocks! This is known as the Rock Cycle
• Volcanoes release lava which cools and hardens to form new rocks.
• Rocks get worn down by wind and rain, and smaller rocks are compressed together underground to create new rocks.

The Rock Cycle

Annotate on the screen:

Circle the images that belong to the Geosphere

What interactions can you think of ?

Common Interactions

Geosphere & Biosphere

Atmosphere & Biosphere

Atmosphere & Hydrosphere

• Winds cause waves in the ocean
• Winds cause major rainstorms and flooding

• Plants need soil to grow
• the remains of dead plants & animals get decomposed and turned into nutrients in the soil

• Wind can carry seeds to new places
• The survival of organisms is impacted by the air temperature
• Animals breathe in oxygen in the atmosphere

Hydrosphere & Biosphere

Atmosphere & Geosphere

Hydrosphere & Geosphere

• Plants and animals need water to survive
• Oceans, lakes, and rivers are home to many plants and animals

• Water causes erosion on the land
• Flooding moves soil and rocks to new places
• A mountain range can affect patterns of rainfall (rain shadow)

• Cloud cover impacts temperature on land
• A volcano erupts adding Carbon Dioxide to the air

Which Spheres are Interacting ?

For each of the following process, identify which 2 spheres are interacting. Type the correct names in the box below.

Hydrosphere

Geosphere

Atmosphere

Biosphere

The Cryosphere is sometimes included as part of the hydrosphere!

Water and ice work hand-in-hand!

• When water freezes, it becomes ice - turning it into cryosphere matter.
• When ice thaws, it becomes water - turning it into hydrosphere matter.