Each of the spheres of the planet has its own characteristic features. None of them has been fully studied yet, despite the fact that research is ongoing. Hydrosphere - water shell planet is of great interest both to scientists and to curious people those wishing to study deeper the processes occurring on Earth.

Water is the basis of all living things, it is a powerful vehicle, an excellent solvent and a truly endless pantry of food and mineral resources.

What is the hydrosphere made of?

The hydrosphere includes all water that is not chemically bound and regardless of the state of aggregation (liquid, vapor, frozen) it is in. General form classification of parts of the hydrosphere looks like this:

World Ocean

This is the main, most significant part of the hydrosphere. The totality of the oceans is a water shell that is not continuous. It is divided by islands and continents. The waters of the World Ocean are characterized by a common salt composition. It includes four main oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and Indian oceans. Some sources also distinguish the fifth, the Southern Ocean.

The study of the oceans began many centuries ago. The first explorers are navigators - James Cook and Ferdinand Magellan. It was thanks to these travelers that European scientists received invaluable information about the extent of the water area and the outlines and sizes of the continents.

The oceanosphere makes up about 96% of the world's oceans and has a fairly uniform salt composition. Fresh water also enters the oceans, but their share is small - only about half a million cubic kilometers. These waters enter the oceans with precipitation and river runoff. A small amount of incoming fresh water determines the constancy of the composition of salt in ocean waters.

continental waters

Continental waters (also called surface waters) - those that are temporarily or permanently located in water bodies located on the surface the globe. These include all water flowing and collecting on the surface of the earth:

• swamps;
• rivers;
• seas;
• other drains and reservoirs (for example, reservoirs).

Surface waters are divided into fresh and salty, and are the opposite groundwater.

The groundwater

All waters in earth's crust(in rocks) are called . May be in gaseous, solid or liquid state. Groundwater is a significant part water reserves planets. Their total is 60 million cubic kilometers. Groundwater is classified according to its depth. They are:

• mineral
• artesian
• ground
• interstratal
• soil

Mineral waters are waters containing in their, trace elements, dissolved salt.

Artesian - this is pressure groundwater, located between water-resistant layers in rocks. They belong to minerals, and usually lie at a depth of 100 meters to one kilometer.

Groundwater is called gravitational water, located in the upper, closest to the surface, water-resistant layer. This type of groundwater has a free surface and usually does not have a solid rock roof.

Interstratal waters are called low-lying waters located between layers.

Soil waters are waters that move under the influence of molecular forces or gravity and fill some of the gaps between the particles of the soil cover.

General properties of the components of the hydrosphere

Despite the variety of conditions, compositions and locations, the hydrosphere of our planet is one. It unites all the waters of the globe with a common source of origin (the earth's mantle) and the interconnection of all the waters included in the water cycle on the planet.

The water cycle is an ongoing process, consisting in constant movement under the influence of gravity and solar energy. The water cycle is a link for the entire shell of the Earth, but also connects other shells - the atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere.

During this process can be in the main three states. Throughout the existence of the hydrosphere, it is being updated, and each of its parts is updated for different period time. Thus, the period of renewal of the waters of the World Ocean is approximately three thousand years, the water vapor in the atmosphere is completely renewed in eight days, and the cover glaciers of Antarctica may take up to ten million years to renew. Interesting fact: all waters that are in a solid state (in permafrost, glaciers, snow covers) are united by the name cryosphere.

North America is rich inland waters. The distribution of rivers and lakes across the mainland is uneven, due to the diversity of its climate and topography. The rivers and lakes of the mainland belong to the basins of three oceans - the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic. The endorheic region is small and occupies the Great Cordillera Basin and the north of the Mexican Highlands. Rivers of North America The Atlantic Ocean river basin is the […]

South America is the richest water resources continent. The river runoff of the mainland is twice the average runoff of the world's rivers. Main source feeding rivers - rainfall. Glacially fed rivers are only in the south of the Andes. The role of snow supply is small. The mainland is characterized by large river systems. Their formation is facilitated flat terrain eastern part and high mountain ranges of the mainland, large […]

Rivers The river network is unevenly distributed on the mainland. The hot and contrasting climate of Africa has an impact on the river network and river regime. In a humid climate, the river network is the most dense, and the rivers are fed mainly by rain. About 1/3 of the surface of the continent has no flow into the ocean and belongs to the area of ​​​​inland flow (most of the Sahara, the basin of Lake Chad, […]

The Arctic Ocean stands out among others as the smallest (about 14.75 million km2), the least deep (average depth - 1225 m) and the coldest with an abundance of ice. Geographical position The Arctic Ocean The ocean is located beyond the Arctic Circle in the center of the Arctic, surrounded by land on almost all sides. The deepest sea is the Greenland (5527 m), the largest in area […]

The Indian Ocean is the third largest. Square indian ocean 76.17 million km2, average depth - 3711 m. The name of the ocean is associated with the name of the Indus River - "irrigator", "river". Geographic location of the Indian Ocean characteristic feature geographical position of the Indian Ocean is its location almost entirely in southern hemisphere and entirely in the East. Its waters wash the shores of Africa, Eurasia, […]

Atlantic Ocean- the second largest and deepest. Its area is 91.7 million km2. The average depth is 3597 m, and the maximum depth is 8742 m. The length from north to south is 16,000 km. The geographical position of the Atlantic Ocean The ocean extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the coast of Antarctica in the south. To the south, the Drake Passage separates the Atlantic Ocean from […]

Pacific Ocean the largest in area, the deepest and most ancient of all oceans. Its area is 178.68 million km2 (1/3 of the surface of the globe), all the continents taken together would be located in its open spaces. F. Magellan carried out trip around the world and was the first to explore the Pacific Ocean. His ships never got into a storm. The ocean was resting from the usual […]

The term "World Ocean", as part of the hydrosphere, was introduced into science by the famous oceanographer Yu. M. Shokalsky. Separate parts of the World Ocean, separated from each other by continents and, as a result, differ in certain natural features and unity are called oceans. It is Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Northern arctic oceans. The ocean is playing big role in the circulation of matter and energy on Earth. Between the ocean, the atmosphere […]

Natural complexes in the oceans are less studied than on land. However, it is well known that in the World Ocean, as well as on land, the law of zoning operates. Along with latitudinal zonality, deep zonality is also represented in the World Ocean. Latitudinal zones World Ocean Equatorial and tropical zones are found in three oceans: Pacific, Atlantic and Indian. The waters of these latitudes are different high temperature, at the equator with […]

AT recent decades the planet was engulfed by a real water "hunger". Drinkable today clean water without harmful impurities the earth is getting smaller and smaller. At the same time, humanity needs more and more fresh water. Water consumption The right to water is one of the basic human rights, but it is becoming less and less accessible to people in many Asian and African countries. […]

In terms of water content, glaciers are the second largest after the oceans. Ice covers 10% of land and 7% total area oceans, and 80% of the Earth's fresh water reserves are concentrated in the glaciers of Antarctica. Mountain glaciers Glaciers are huge masses of moving ice formed from fallen and accumulated snow. When a snowfield large cluster snow) does not have time to melt for summer period, it condenses, crystallizes and […]

Along with rivers, lakes and swamps have great importance for human needs. Lakes are the most important reservoirs of water, swamps are sources of food for rivers, and places where peat is mined. Lakes Lakes - accumulation of water on land in natural depressions earth's surface. The recesses in which the lakes are located are called lake basins. Lakes are distinguished by size, origin of basins, water salinity, and the presence of runoff. Most lakes […]

Rivers are the most significant for man water bodies sushi. It is no coincidence that the main part of the world's population has long lived along the banks of rivers. There are many rivers on Earth, and they are all extremely diverse. Parts of the river River - permanent water flow, which flows in the recess developed by him - the channel created under the action flowing water. The beginning of the river - the source can be a stream flowing from a spring […]

The world ocean is in in constant motion. In addition to waves, the calm of the waters is disturbed by currents, ebbs and flows. All this different types movement of water in the oceans. wind waves It is difficult to imagine an absolutely calm expanse of the ocean. Calm - complete calm and the absence of waves on its surface - a rarity. Even in calm and clear weather, ripples can be seen on the surface of the water. And this […]

About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean waters. The oceans are the largest part of the hydrosphere. The ocean and its parts The world ocean is called everything continuous body of water Earth. The surface area of ​​the World Ocean is 361 million square kilometers, but its waters make up only 1/8oo of the volume of our planet. In the World Ocean, separate parts separated by continents are distinguished. These are oceans - vast areas of the single World Ocean, differing in […]

The French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote: “Water! You have no taste, no color, no smell, you cannot be described, you are enjoyed without knowing what you are! You cannot say that you are necessary for life: you are life itself. You are the greatest wealth in the world." How much water is on Earth One of the features of the Earth as a planet is the abundance of water. A large […]

The rivers of Crimea are relatively small. Some of them originate on the northern, others on the southern slope of the Main Ridge. On the southern slope of the Main Ridge, the rivers flow down and flow into the Black Sea: Uchan-Su, Derekoika, East Putamis, West Ulu-Uzen, East Ulu-Uzen and a number of smaller ones. These rivers are of insignificant length, shallow. Some of them start with waterfalls: Uchan-Su (Uchan-Su River), Golovkinsky […]

No. Lake Area, thousand km2 1. Caspian Sea 396.0 2. Upper Sea 82.1 3. Victoria 69.5 4. Huron 59.7 5. Michigan 57.8 6. Aral Sea 33.6 7. Tanganyika 32, 9 8. Baikal 31.5 9. Big Bear 31.3 10. Nyasa 29.6

Ladoga lake Lake Ladoga, located in the northwest of the East European Plain at an altitude of 5 m above sea level, is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Its area is 17.7 thousand km2; maximum depth 233 m, average depth 51 m; the volume of water is 908 km3. The lake occupies a basin of glacial-tectonic origin. The shores in the northern part of the lake are high, rocky, and have complex outlines: […]

Including the total mass of water found on, under and above the surface of the planet. The water of the hydrosphere can be found in three states of aggregation: in liquid (water), solid (ice) and gaseous (water vapor). Unique in solar system The Earth's hydrosphere plays one of the primary roles for sustaining life on our planet.

Total volume of hydrosphere waters

The earth has an area of ​​about 510,066,000 km²; almost 71% of the planet's surface is covered with salt water with a volume of about 1.4 billion km³ and an average temperature of about 4° C, not much above the freezing point of water. It contains almost 94% of the volume of all water on Earth. The remainder occurs as fresh water, three-quarters of which is locked up as ice in the polar regions. Most of the remaining fresh water is ground water contained in soils and rocks; and less than 1% is found in the world's lakes and rivers. As a percentage, atmospheric water vapor is negligible, but the transfer of water evaporated from the oceans to the land surface is an integral part of the hydrological cycle that renews and sustains life on the planet.

Hydrosphere objects

Scheme of the main constituent parts hydrosphere of planet Earth

The objects of the hydrosphere are all liquid and frozen surface water, groundwater in soil and rocks, and water vapor. The entire hydrosphere of the Earth, as shown in the diagram above, can be divided into the following large objects or parts:

• World Ocean: contains 1.37 billion km³ or 93.96% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• The groundwater: contain 64 million km³ or 4.38% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• Glaciers: contain 24 million km³ or 1.65% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• Lakes and reservoirs: contain 280 thousand km³ or 0.02% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• Soils: contain 85 thousand km³ or 0.01% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• Atmospheric steam: contains 14 thousand km³ or 0.001% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• Rivers: contain a little more than 1 thousand km³ or 0.0001% of the volume of the entire hydrosphere;
• TOTAL VOLUME OF THE EARTH'S HYDROSPHERE: about 1.458 billion km³.

The water cycle in nature

Scheme of the cycle of nature

Involves the movement of water from the oceans through the atmosphere to the continents and then back to the oceans above, on and below the land surface. The cycle includes processes such as sedimentation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, percolation and runoff. These processes operate throughout the hydrosphere, which extends about 15 km into the atmosphere and up to about 5 km deep into the earth's crust.

About a third of the solar energy that reaches the Earth's surface is spent on evaporation. ocean water. The resulting atmospheric moisture condenses into clouds, rain, snow and dew. Humidity is decisive factor in determining the weather. This is driving force storms and she's in charge of separating electric charge, which is the cause of lightning and therefore natural , which adversely affect some . Precipitation moistens the soil, replenishes underground aquifers, destroys the landscape, nourishes living organisms, and fills rivers that carry dissolved chemicals and sediment back to the oceans.

Importance of the hydrosphere

Water plays important role in the carbon cycle. Under the influence of water and dissolved carbon dioxide calcium is eroded from continental rocks and transported to the oceans where calcium carbonate is formed (including the shells of marine organisms). Ultimately, carbonates are deposited on seabed and lithified to form limestone. Some of these carbonate rocks later sink into the Earth's interior thanks to global process plate tectonics and melt, which leads to the release of carbon dioxide (for example, from volcanoes) into the atmosphere. The hydrological cycle, the circulation of carbon and oxygen through geological and biological systems The Earths are the basis for maintaining the life of the planet, the formation of erosion and weathering of the continents, and they are in stark contrast to the absence of such processes, for example, on Venus.

Problems of the hydrosphere

The process of melting glaciers

There are many problems that are directly related to the hydrosphere, but the most global are the following:

sea ​​level rise

Sea level rise is new problem, which could affect many people and ecosystems around the world. Tide level measurements show a worldwide increase in sea level of 15-20 cm, and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has suggested that the increase is due to the expansion of ocean water due to rising ambient temperatures, melting mountain glaciers, and ice caps. Most of the Earth's glaciers are melting due to, and many Scientific research showed that the rate of this process increases, and also has a significant effect on global level seas.

Reduction of Arctic sea ice

Over the past few decades, the Arctic sea ​​ice significantly reduced in size. Recent NASA studies show that it is declining at a rate of 9.6% per decade. Such thinning and removal of ice affects the balance of heat and animals. For example, populations are declining due to a break in the ice that separates them from land, and many individuals drown in attempts to swim across. This loss sea ​​ice also affects the albedo, or reflectivity of the Earth's surface, causing dark oceans to absorb more heat.

Precipitation change

An increase in precipitation can lead to floods and landslides, while a decrease can lead to droughts and fires. El Niño events, monsoons and hurricanes also affect short-term global climate change. For example, change ocean currents off the coast of Peru, associated with an El Niño event, could lead to changes weather conditions throughout North America. Changes in monsoon patterns due to rising temperatures can cause droughts in areas around the world that depend on seasonal winds. Hurricanes that intensify with rising sea surface temperatures will become more destructive to humans in the future.

Melting permafrost

It melts as the global temperature rises. This affects the people living in this area the most, as the soil on which the houses are located becomes unstable. Not only is there an immediate effect, scientists fear that the melting permafrost release great amount carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) into the atmosphere, which will greatly affect environment in long term. Those released will contribute to further global warming by releasing heat into the atmosphere.

Anthropogenic influence of man on the hydrosphere

Humans have had a significant impact on our planet's hydrosphere, and this will continue as the world's population and human needs increase. Global climate change, river flooding, wetland drainage, flow reduction, and irrigation have put pressure on existing freshwater hydrosphere systems. The steady state is broken by the release of toxic chemical substances, radioactive substances and other industrial waste, as well as the leakage of mineral fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides into water sources Earth.

Acid rain, caused by the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels, has become a worldwide problem. It is believed that acidification of freshwater lakes and increased concentration aluminum in their waters are responsible for significant changes in lake ecosystems. In particular, many lakes today do not have significant fish populations.

Eutrophication caused by human intervention is becoming a problem for freshwater ecosystems. As excess nutrients and organic matter from Wastewater from Agriculture and industries are released into water systems, they become artificially enriched. It affects coastal marine ecosystems, as well as the introduction organic matter into the oceans, which is many times greater than in prehuman times. This has caused biotic changes in some areas, such as the North Sea, where cyanobacteria thrive and diatoms thrive.

As the population increases, the need for drinking water will also increase, and in many parts of the world due to temperature changes, fresh water extremely difficult to access. As people irresponsibly divert rivers and deplete natural water supplies, this creates even more problems.

people rendered big influence on the hydrosphere and will continue to do so in the future. It is important to understand the impact we have on the environment and work to reduce negative impacts.

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