Earth's systems

By National Geographic Society, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.17.20

Word Count 648
Level 950L

The five systems of Earth are all connected. For example, all of the water on Earth is the hydrosphere. Water is also part of other spheres,
like in the air (atmosphere) and frozen (cryosphere). Plants and animals of the biosphere need water to live. Photo: Chris R. Sharp/Science
Source

There are many features on Earth that make it

different from all the other planets in the solar
system. None of these features, from the air we
breathe to the ground we live on, is more significant
than the others. Each one plays an important role in
the working and maintenance of Earth's systems.

Earth's Five Spheres

There are five main systems, or spheres, on Earth: the geosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere,
the atmosphere, and the cryosphere. All five of these enormous and complex systems interact with
one another to maintain the Earth as we know it.

The first system is the geosphere. It consists of the interior and surface of Earth, and rocks make
up both.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

The second system is the biosphere, or the part of the planet that can support living things.

The third system is the hydrosphere, or the areas of Earth covered with enormous amounts of
water.

The fourth system is the atmosphere. It is an envelope of gas that keeps the planet warm and
provides oxygen for breathing. It also provides carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, the process by
which plants make their own food.

Finally, the fifth system is the cryosphere, which contains huge quantities of ice at the poles and
elsewhere. All five of these enormous and complex systems interact with one another.

Water Sphere

One of Earth's most obvious features is its water. All of the liquid water on Earth, both fresh and
salt, makes up the hydrosphere. However, water in different forms is also part of other spheres.

For example, water vapor in the atmosphere is also considered part of the hydrosphere. Ice, being
frozen water, is part of the hydrosphere and the cryosphere.

Rivers and lakes may appear more commonplace than glaciers and icebergs. (Icebergs are large
pieces of ice floating in water, and glaciers are slow-moving rivers of ice and snow.) However,
around three-quarters of all the fresh water on Earth remains locked up in the cryosphere.

Overlapping And Interconnected

There are multiple systems on Earth, and they are all connected: what affects one can affect
another. For example, when air in the atmosphere holds as much water vapor as possible, rain or
snow falls to Earth's surface.

The rain or snow connects the hydrosphere with the geosphere through weathering and
erosion. Weathering is the process that slowly break down large rocks into smaller ones under the
influence of wind or water. Erosion is the process that moves the broken down rocks and materials
to different places.

Over time, erosion and weathering change large pieces of rocks—or even mountains—into
sediments, such as sand or mud. The cryosphere can also be involved in erosion. Large glaciers cut
away bits of rock from the bedrock, the solid rock beneath them.

Biotic And Abiotic

The biosphere is another example of how the different systems affect each other. The biosphere is
the relatively small part of Earth's environment in which living things can survive.

It contains a wide range of organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms that live
together as a community. All the living things in an environment are its biotic factors. The
biosphere also includes abiotic factors. These are the nonliving things that organisms require to
survive, such as water, air, and light. Both the geosphere and hydrosphere provide the habitat, or
the natural home, for the biosphere.

The atmosphere is a mix of gases. It mostly consists of nitrogen and oxygen along with less
abundant gases such as water vapor, ozone, carbon dioxide, and argon. The atmosphere is also

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Quiz

1 Read the conclusion below.

The atmosphere protects Earth’s living organisms.

Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the statement above?

(A) The fourth system is the atmosphere.

(B) These are the nonliving things that organisms require to survive, such as water, air, and light.

(C) It mostly consists of nitrogen and oxygen along with less abundant gases such as water vapor, ozone,
carbon dioxide, and argon.

(D) Atmospheric gases work together to keep the global temperatures within livable limits.

2 Read the section “Overlapping And Interconnected.”

Select the sentence from the section that suggests the Earth’s surface is constantly changing.

(A) There are multiple systems on Earth, and they are all connected: what affects one can affect another.

(B) The rain or snow connects the hydrosphere with the geosphere through weathering and erosion.

(C) Over time, erosion and weathering change large pieces of rocks—or even mountains—into sediments,
such as sand or mud.

(D) The cryosphere can also be involved in erosion.

3 Read the sentence from the introduction [paragraph 1].

None of these features, from the air we breathe to the ground we live on, is more significant than
the others.

Which word, if it replaced the word “significant” in the sentence above, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?

(A) important

(B) influential

(C) crucial

(D) trivial

4 What is the definition of “plays” as used in this sentence?

Each one plays an important role in the working and maintenance of Earth's systems.

(A) amuses or imagines

(B) staged performances

(C) participates or cooperates

(D) performs musically

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Answer Key

1 Read the conclusion below.

The atmosphere protects Earth’s living organisms.

Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the statement above?

(A) The fourth system is the atmosphere.

(B) These are the nonliving things that organisms require to survive, such as water, air, and light.

(C) It mostly consists of nitrogen and oxygen along with less abundant gases such as water vapor, ozone,
carbon dioxide, and argon.

(D) Atmospheric gases work together to keep the global temperatures within livable limits.

2 Read the section “Overlapping And Interconnected.”

Select the sentence from the section that suggests the Earth’s surface is constantly changing.

(A) There are multiple systems on Earth, and they are all connected: what affects one can affect another.

(B) The rain or snow connects the hydrosphere with the geosphere through weathering and erosion.

(C) Over time, erosion and weathering change large pieces of rocks—or even mountains—into
sediments, such as sand or mud.

(D) The cryosphere can also be involved in erosion.

3 Read the sentence from the introduction [paragraph 1].

None of these features, from the air we breathe to the ground we live on, is more significant than
the others.

Which word, if it replaced the word “significant” in the sentence above, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?

(A) important

(B) influential

(C) crucial

(D) trivial

4 What is the definition of “plays” as used in this sentence?

Each one plays an important role in the working and maintenance of Earth's systems.

(A) amuses or imagines

(B) staged performances

(C) participates or cooperates

(D) performs musically

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.