Earth's major systems

0:00- [Presenter] Our planet has incredible diversity, but no matter where you look, every single place on Earth is shaped by the same four major systems, the atmosphere, the geosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. Let's learn what these systems are and how they interact with each other using a real example of how the Hawaiian Islands formed.

0:23Let's start with atmosphere. The atmosphere is a layer of gases and small particles that surround our entire planet, and this layer is pretty thin. I mean, if Earth where the size of a basketball, the atmosphere would be a thin layer of plastic wrap. And most of these gases are nitrogen and oxygen, which give air to living things.

0:50And when I say particles, I mean, tiny bits of matter like smoke or dust or pollen that are so small, you can't see them without a microscope. And yes, the atmosphere also blocks some of the sun's harmful rays and helps control Earth's temperature. All right, next up, the geosphere.

1:12The geosphere includes all the solid parts of the Earth. We're talking about rocks and mountains and minerals and soil, and even the layers deep inside our planet like magma, the molten rock beneath Earth's surface. And when this molten rock reaches the surface, it's called lava.

1:35This is also part of our geosphere. Okay, next up, the hydrosphere. This includes all the water on earth, and I'm talking about all forms of water. We have liquid water, which is found in rivers and lakes and oceans, and even underground water for that matter.

1:54Then we have solid water, which you find in icebergs or glaciers or even ice cubes in your refrigerator. And we also have water in the gas form, like water vapor, which is also present in air. For example, over here in this image, there is a lot of water vapor released by this hot spring.

2:12Now, of course, the white stuff that we see over here, that's not water vapor, okay? That's actually liquid water. That's why you can see it. The actual water vapor, which is present over here, that's invisible to our eyes, okay? But anyways, all of these are parts of the hydrosphere.

2:30And finally, that brings us to biosphere. The biosphere includes all living organisms and their remains. So we're talking about plants and green stuff, the animals, and even microorganisms, and their dead remains as well. All of that as part of the biosphere. So now, let's see how all four systems interact using the example of the Hawaiian Islands.

2:57Deep beneath the Pacific Ocean is a hot spot, a place where rock deep inside the earth is much hotter than the surrounding areas. Because it is so hot, magma slowly rose upwards and erupted onto the ocean floor as lava. Now, when this lava met the ocean water, it cooled and hardened into rock.

3:25Now, over a very long time, eruptions after eruptions piled up layers of hardened lava. Eventually, this volcanic mountain grew so tall that it rose above the ocean's surface forming land. This is how the Hawaiian Island was born. But this didn't happen just once.

3:50Over millions of years, Earth's crust slowly moved while the hot spot pretty much stayed in the same place. So the process repeated over and over, and that's how Hawaii is a chain of islands today, not just one. So look how the geosphere and the Hydrosphere interacted together.

4:14The geosphere provided the magma and the rocks, while the hydrosphere helped cool and shape the lava as it hardened. Now, the atmosphere also played an important role. Warm air, wind and changing temperatures affected weather patterns over the islands. These weather patterns influenced rainfall and evaporation, which affected how much water flowed across the land.

4:41So here, the atmosphere and hydrosphere worked together, the rainwater that flowed downhill across the land into the sea. Well, it carried tiny pieces of rocks and minerals and other materials with it. All of this helped shape the islands. But what about the biosphere?

5:01Well, when the Hawaiian Islands first formed, there was no life at all. I mean, they were made of bare volcanic rock. But over time, the rainwater and the air slowly broke the volcanic rock into smaller and smaller pieces. Ocean waves also helped grind the rock into sand.

5:22And later, simple plants like mosses and lichens grew directly on the rock. When they died, there remains mixed with the broken rock to form soil. Now, with soil and water now available, more plants could grow from the seeds carried by wind and water. And these plants created food and habitats for other organisms like insects and birds.

5:50So this is how slowly the biosphere grew and spread across the islands. It's pretty amazing how earth systems are always interacting with one another. Every living thing, including you and me, depends on the atmosphere for air, the hydrosphere for water, and the geosphere for minerals and soil.

6:11A change in one system can lead to changes in the others. Together, Earth's four major systems create the environments that we see around us and allow life to exist on our planet.