Title: The Spheres of the Earth
1The Spheres of the Earth
2World Geography
Chapter 2 Water, Climate and Vegetation
3World Geography
Artic Ocean
Russia and Eurasian Republic
N. America
Europe
Atlantic Ocean
E. Asia
Pacific Ocean
S. Asia
Modern Middle East
M. America
Sub-Sahara Africa
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
N. America
S. E. Asia
S. America
Europe
Oceania
Australia
Southern Ocean
Antarctica
4The Atmosphere
- Atmosphere The gaseous envelope of air
surrounding Earth, made up of a mixture of about
78 nitrogen, 21 oxygen and 1 other gases and
water vapor. - It is the outer most and least dense sphere
- Reflects, absorbs and alters the suns harmful
ultra violet (UV) rays - Supports all life forms by providing oxygen and
carbon dioxide - Carries and holds water vapor,
- influencing precipitation and
- humidity
- Influences winds and
- atmospheric pressure
5The Geosphere
- Geosphere The rocks, mountains, the
lithospheric plates and other physical features
of Earth, except water. - The main divisions of the geosphere are the
crust, mantle and core (inner and outer). - One specific part of the geosphere is the
lithosphere which consists of the rigid mantle
and the asthenosphere. - This includes the rock layers of
- the ocean floor.
- The geosphere is always c
- hanging through volcanic activity,
- plate tectonics and erosion.
6The Hydrosphere
- Hydrosphere the collective mass of water found
on, under, and over the surface of a planet. - This includes the water in the oceans, lakes,
rivers, ground water, the ice at the poles and
even the water vapor in the atmosphere. - Approximately 70.8 per cent of the Earth is
covered by water - Majority of Earths water is salty 98
- Only 2 is fresh water, with 80
- of the fresh water is ice locked.
- Causes the atmosphere to
- appear blue
7The Biosphere
- Biosphere All living organisms in the Earth
system and their environment - The vegetation, humans, animals, single cell
organisms and fish in the ocean. - Basically the Earths ecosystems.
8The Interaction of the Spheres
- The four spheres, geosphere, hydrosphere,
atmosphere and biosphere, are All living
organisms in the Earth system and their
environment . - Volcanoes (geosphere) erupt, sending ash and
gases into the air (atmosphere) and lava and ash
down onto surrounding forests (biosphere) and
human habitation (biosphere). - Plants (biosphere) draw carbon dioxide from the
air (atmosphere) and water (hydrosphere) they
release oxygen back into the air (atmosphere) and
serve as food for other creatures (biosphere). - Hurricanes (atmosphere) sweep across the ocean
(hydrosphere) and onto the land (geosphere), and
damages cities and homes (biosphere). - Human beings (biosphere) drill wells
- into Earths crust (geosphere) to
- draw out groundwater (hydrosphere)
- for drinking and irrigation
- of crops (biosphere).
9The Environment
10World Geography
Chapter 2 Water, Climate and Vegetation Section
I The Water Planet
11Hydrosphere
- Ocean the ancient Greeks noticing the strong
current that flowed off Gibraltar - This global, interconnected body of salt water,
called the World Oceans, is generally divided by
the continents into the following bodies, from
the largest to the smallest the Pacific Ocean,
the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the
Southern Ocean, and the Artic Ocean.
12The Hydrosphere
Surface Area of the Planet (510,066,000 sq km)
Land Area on the Planet (148,647,000 sq km)
29.1 Ocean Area (335,258,000 sq km) Total
Water Area (361,419,000 sq km) 70.9 Type of
Water (97 salt), (3 fresh)
13The Hydrosphere
Pacific Ocean Largest and deepest
Atlantic Ocean
14The Hydrosphere
Arctic Ocean Smallest
Indian Ocean
15The Hydrosphere
For many years only (4) four oceans were
officially recognized, and then in the spring of
2000, the International Hydrographic Organization
established the Southern Ocean, and determined
its limits. Those limits include all water below
60 degrees south, and some of it, like the Arctic
Ocean, is frozen.
16Surface Water
- Oceanography (Marine Science) is the study of
the Earth's oceans and seas.
17Surface Water
- Water on the Continents The water located on
the continents may be collected in a variety of
formations, such as
- Bay
- Bayou
- Brook
- Canal
- Channel
- Creek
- Estuary
- Fjord
- Gulf
- Harbor
- Lake
- Pond
- Reservoir
- River
- Sea
- Stream
- Sound
- Strait
- Swamp
18The Hydrosphere
- Gulf or Bay is a part of a lake or ocean that
extends so that it is surrounded by land on three
sides.
19The Hydrosphere
- Wetlands any landscape that is covered with
water for at least part of the year.
Wetland
- Canals are man-made waterways, usually
connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.
There are two main types of canal - Irrigation canal used for the delivery of
water - Transportation canals for passage of goods and
- people.
20The Hydrosphere
- Strait and Channel a relatively narrow body of
water that connects two larger bodies of water.
21The Hydrosphere
- Estuary connection with the open sea and
within which seawater mixes with freshwater.
22The Hydrosphere
- Fjord (or fiord) is a narrow inlet of the sea
between cliffs or steep slopes. A fjord is eroded
significantly below sea level allowing deep-draft
vessels to navigate easily.
23The Hydrosphere
- Harbor or Haven is a place where ships may
shelter from the weather or are stored.
24The Hydrosphere
- Lake is a body of water or other liquid of
considerable size surrounded by land. The vast
majority of lakes on Earth are fresh water, and
most lie in the Northern Hemisphere at higher
latitudes. Smaller lakes tend to put the word
"lake" after the name, as in Green Lake, while
larger lakes often invert the word order, as in
Lake Michigan.
25The Hydrosphere
- Pond is a body of water smaller than a lake.
However the difference between a pond and a lake
is subjective. Pond usually describes small
bodies of water, generally smaller than one would
require a boat to cross.
- Reservoir is, most broadly, anything used for
storage of large amounts of a liquid
26The Hydrosphere
- Sea is a large expanse of saline water
connected with an ocean, or a large, usually
saline, lakes that lack a natural outlet such as
the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. The term is
synonymous with ocean.
27The Hydrosphere
- Sound is a large sea or ocean inlet larger
than a bay and wider than a fjord, or it may
identify a narrow sea or ocean channel between
two bodies of land.
28The Hydrosphere
- The Water cycle movement of water on, above
and below the surface of the Earth
Part 1 Part 2
29The Hydrosphere
30The Hydrosphere
- Groundwater water found beneath the surface of
the Earth - Aquifers rocks layers which water flows
rivers under ground - Water table the level when all the space
beneath the Earths surface is filled with water.
- construction
- homes,
- housing areas,
- communities and
- cities
31The Hydrosphere
- Drainage basin the route waters flows to the
ocean or lakes
32The Hydrosphere
How do we get more fresh water?
33The Hydrosphere
How do we get more fresh water?
Desalination
The removal of excess salt and other minerals
from water in order to obtain fresh water
suitable for animal consumption or irrigation
however, almost all of the salt is removed, for
human consumption.
34The Hydrosphere
- Natural disasters
- Flooding
- Rivers flow over relatively flat land
- Bordered by flood plains
- Caused by heavy rainfall or melting snow
- Benefits of flooding, it deposits silt on the
flood plain, improving its fertility - Flash flood occurs during or immediately
following heavy rainfall, usually last a short
time. However violent.
35World Geography
Chapter 2 Water, Climate and Vegetation Section
II Climate
36Factors Affecting Climate
Climate Weather conditions in a geographic
region over a long period of time
Weather The condition of the atmosphere at a
given time or place.
37Factors Affecting Climate
Climate Weather conditions in a geographic
region over a long period of time
Weather The condition of the atmosphere at a
given time or place.
Tilt of the Earth
Ocean Current
La Nena
Temperature
Orographic effect/lift
El Nino
Rotation - winds
Biosphere
Geosphere
38The Winds
- Wind The roughly horizontal movement of air
caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface
and the Earths Rotation (Coriolis Effect) - Global winds resulting from solar heating of the
Earth Surface and Oceans - Air naturally moves from areas of
- high pressure to areas of low pressure
- Move heat and cool across the
- Earths surface
- The air is deflected to the right in the
- Northern Hemisphere and to the
- left in the Southern Hemisphere
39The Winds
- Prevailing winds
- Blow in the same direction most of the year
- Blow from the northeast and southeast towards
the equator - Known as the trade winds
- Middle latitudes known as westerlies
- High latitudes come mainly from the east off
the ocean, blow from the polar region to the
middle latitudes
40The Winds
41The Winds
- Doldrums A region along the equator, which is
usually calm - Monsoon A wind pattern that reverses direction
with the seasons.
42The Winds
- Jet Stream A region along the equator, which
is usually calm - Fast flowing, relatively narrow air currents
found in the atmosphere - Formed at the boundaries of adjacent air masses
- polar region and gulf stream - Westerly winds (flowing west to east) in the
Northern and Southern Hemisphere - Moves most major weather patterns
- Gulf Stream A powerful, warm, and swift
Atlantic Ocean current that originates in the
Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of
Florida follows the eastern coastlines of the
U.S.
43The Winds
44The Winds
45The Winds
46The Winds
47The Orographic lift
- Orographic lift The changing in air masses as
it moves over areas of high elevation.
48The Orographic lift
Air flow
Windward side
Leeward side
Clouds
Snowline
Rain shadow
Precipitation Rain and Snow
49The Orographic lift
Windward side
Leeward side
50The Oceans
- Ocean currents
- heat and cool slower than land
- area near the oceans have usually milder
temperatures - ocean currents move heat back and forth between
the tropics and the polar regions - Ocean currents are created by winds, Earths
rotation and varying ocean temperatures
51The Oceans
52The Oceans
53The Ninos
La Nina
El Nino
54Biosphere
People pollution car exhaust, hair sprays and
burning
Greenhouse effect
55World Geography
Chapter 2 Water, Climate and Vegetation Section
III Climate Zones and Vegetation
56Climates
Section II
57Tropical Climates Rain Forest
58Tropical Climates Savanna
59Dry Climates - Arid
60Dry Climates Semi Arid
61Mid. Latitude Climates Humid Subtropical
62Mid. Latitude Climates Humid Continental
63Mid. Latitude Climates Marine West Coast
64Mid. Latitude Climates Mediterranean
65High Latitude Climates Subarctic
66High Latitude Climates Tundra
67High Latitudes Climates Ice Cap
68World Geography
Chapter 2 Water, Climate and Vegetation Section
IV The Environment and Society
69Biosphere
Biosphere
Geosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
- Pollution
- Greenhouse effect
- Acid rain
- Deforestation
- Soil exhaustion
70Ecosystem
Biosphere
Forest
Animals
Hydrosphere
- Population
- Clear cutting
- Forest fires
71Waste Hierarchy
Section V