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2.3.1: Components of the Earth System

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    15550
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    The Earth system is a complex functioning system that includes all the components of the various "spheres" like the solid Earth or lithosphere, the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth that is the atmosphere, biosphere comprised of all living organisms and the hydrosphere or "water sphere".

    spheres3.jpg
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The Earth System (after Christopherson, 2005)

    The Earth system diagram shows arrows representing flows of energy and mass that connect and intertwine the four spheres. At the top, solar energy drives many of the environmental processes operating in the four spheres. The Earth's internal heat engine and the gravitational attraction of the moon are additional sources of energy to power Earth systems. There is a constant cycling of energy and mass between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere as indicated by the arrows.


    This page titled 2.3.1: Components of the Earth System is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michael E. Ritter (The Physical Environment) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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