The Earth is made up of four distinct yet connected spheres – lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere
- The lithosphere (or geosphere) describes all the rocks, minerals and molten magma found on or in the Earth
- The hydrosphere describes all the water on Earth – including liquid water (oceans, etc.) and vapour (precipitation)
- The atmosphere describes the layer of gases surrounding the Earth and is divided into sections (stratosphere, etc.)
- The biosphere is composed of all the living organisms on the planet (including plants, animals, bacteria, etc.)
The four spheres are interconnected, so human impact on one sphere will potentially effect other spheres
- The release of plastic pollution into the oceans (hydrosphere) will impact on marine life (biosphere)
- The production and release of CFCs into the atmosphere will effect the impact of UV radiation on the biosphere
The Four Earth Spheres
