The Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere is all the water on Earth, a key feature that distinguishes our planet.
The Earth’s surface is composed of 70% water and 30% land.
The distribution of Earth’s water is as follows:
97% is saltwater: Found in oceans, seas, and salty lakes. This water is considered unusable
because it contains a high amount of salts.
3% is freshwater: This is the water useful for human consumption and other purposes like
irrigation. It is further divided into:
o 2% frozen water (the cryosphere), located in polar regions, on mountaintops, and in
glaciers.
o 1% liquid water, found in rivers, freshwater lakes, and groundwater. Usable and use it
in Irrigation
The Water Cycle and Its Processes
The water cycle is a continuous movement of water and is considered a nearly closed system. It can
physically, chemically, and biologically change the Earth’s surface. And called Hydrological Cycle
The main processes are:
Vaporization: A process of converting a substance (water) from a liquid state to a gaseous state
at its boiling point (100°C).
Evaporation: The process of converting water from a liquid to a gaseous state at any
temperature.
Condensation: The process of converting water from a gaseous state to a liquid state, forming
clouds.
Precipitation: The process of rain or snow falling again to form water bodies.
Collection: Water leakage through the pores of soil and sedimentary rocks to form
groundwater.
There are also important biological processes in the water cycle:
Transpiration: Water loss by plants in the form of vapor through microscopic openings called
stomata. The water travels up from the roots to the leaves via xylem tissue.
Respiration: When plants and animals get energy and exchange gases.
Excretion: The process where living organisms get rid of waste products from metabolic
processes, such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogenous wastes (ammonia, urea,
and uric acid).
Chemical Reaction: Water vapor in clouds can react with compounds in the air, such as sulfur trioxide
(SO3), to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which falls as acid rain.
The Environmental System
The environment is a concept derived from the French word Environ, meaning "the surroundings," and
includes everything that surrounds us. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms that interact
with each other and with non-living components to adapt to changing conditions.
The environmental system is an integrated system whose components cannot be separated and
consist of physical, chemical, and biological elements. It has both:
Biotic (Living) Factors: Humans, plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Abiotic (Non-living) Factors: Light, air, water, and soil.
The natural environment consists of four interconnected spheres that are in constant change
and are affected by human activities:
Atmosphere: All the gases that rotate around the Earth.
Lithosphere: The solid rocks of the upper layer of Earth.
Biosphere: The space in which organisms live.
Examples of different environmental systems include aquatic, desert, and forest
ecosystems.
