🌍 THE 4 SPHERES
The four main spheres of Earth are...
Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
The Lithosphere is made of...
The Hydrosphere is made of the...
Earth's water in all 3 states.
The Atmosphere is...
The layer of gases that surrounds Earth.
The Biosphere is made of...
All living thing on Earth.
Which sphere includes all living organisms?
Biosphere
What are the two types of lithosphere?
Continental lithosphere and oceanic lithosphere.
About what percentage of Earth is covered by water?
About 70%.
Name the five layers of the atmosphere.
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere.
Give two examples of organisms that are part of the Biosphere.
Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, or humans.
A bird is flying over an ocean. Which three spheres are interacting?
Biosphere, Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere.
What is the lithosphere broken into?
Tectonic plates.
Around 3% of the Hydrosphere is fresh water. Which source of fresh water do humans use the most?
Underground water.
In which layer does most weather occur?
The Troposphere
Why does the Biosphere depend on the Hydrosphere?
Living organisms need water to survive.
A tree is growing beside a river. Which spheres are interacting?
Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, and Atmosphere.
Explain how the lithosphere provides both resources and habitats for living things.
The lithosphere provides land and natural resources that organisms and humans depend on, and it provides places where living organisms can live.
Which human activity uses the most water: agriculture, drinking water at home, or washing cars?
Agriculture.
Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer, and why is it important?
The Stratosphere. The ozone helps protect Earth from UV radiation.
How can changes in the atmosphere affect living organisms?
Changes in the atmosphere can affect temperature, weather, air quality, and the conditions organisms need to survive.
A volcano erupts near the ocean. Explain how all four spheres could interact during this event.
The Lithosphere produces the volcanic eruption; the Atmosphere receives ash and gases; the Hydrosphere can be affected by volcanic material entering the water; and the Biosphere can be affected because living organisms may be harmed.
Why can mining have a negative impact on the lithosphere?
Because mining removes rocks and minerals and changes the Earth's surface.
A community uses too much freshwater during a long drought. What could happen to the hydrosphere and biosphere?
Freshwater availability could decrease, affecting ecosystems, plants, animals, and humans.
Why can the temperature be higher in the Thermosphere than in the Mesosphere, even though the Thermosphere is farther from Earth's surface?
The Thermosphere absorbs a large amount of the Sun's radiation, making it the hottest atmospheric layer.
A forest is destroyed and replaced by a large city. Explain how this could affect at least three of Earth's spheres.
The Biosphere is affected because plants and animals lose habitats; the Lithosphere is changed by construction and removal of vegetation; the Hydrosphere can be affected by changes in water runoff; and the Atmosphere can be affected by changes in air quality and gases.