What is the hydrosphere: definition and characteristics

To explain the definition of hydrosphere , we will start with the literal meaning or its etiology. The word “hydrosphere” derives from the lexemes “hydro-“, water, and “-sphera”, or sphere, of Greek origin. Therefore, the meaning of hydrosphere , literally, is “water sphere”.

The hydrosphere is a part of the biosphere that is defined as the set of waters on the planet . This includes not only surface water in seas and oceans, rivers and lakes, but also groundwater , ice accumulated at the poles and mountain ranges, and water that circulates through the troposphere as vapor.

Now that you know what the hydrosphere is with this simple definition, let’s go on to see more interesting points about it, such as its characteristics, origin, composition, distribution and more details.

These are some of the main characteristics of the hydrosphere :

• It is in constant physical-chemical transformation.
• It constantly interacts with the earth’s crust and modifies its structure.
• It is a fundamental part of ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine.
• It is essential for all forms of life.
• Only a small percentage is suitable for human consumption and other species.

During the earth’s formation the materials were in liquid and gaseous states. Specifically, the water that was available was in the form of steam. As the earth’s crust cooled, the water in the form of vapor condensed to form large pools of liquid water, and froze to form large expanses of ice. A part remained in the atmosphere.

This is, roughly, how the first water deposits were formed . However, we know that water has undergone great transformations throughout the history of the earth. On the one hand, water is in constant circulation and transformation thanks to the so-called “water cycle”. In addition, due to different climatic changes, the proportions of ice, liquid water and steam have varied greatly. The dissolution load of salts and other substances have also been modified according to the location and characteristics of the terrain. The surface that they occupy also varies depending on the terrestrial dynamics.

But beyond the physical-chemical and geological transformations, the different living organisms have also led to a great transformation of the Earth’s hydrosphere : from the contribution of organic matter to the transformation of its physical characteristics, as occurs in large forest areas. . Special mention to the anthropogenic, that is to say, human action, which has led to such dramatic transformations as the channeling of water, its purification or contamination (the latter pre-eminent) and, ultimately, its physical state due to recent climate change.

In conclusion, we can say that the water condensed during the cooling of the earth’s crust, and it has been in constant transformation since then.

In summary, the composition of the hydrosphere is as follows:

• Solid water: this includes the water contained at the poles and in alpine snows and glaciers. Floating ice surfaces are known as “ice floes”, and the whole of the water in solid state is called the “cryosphere”.
• Water in a liquid state: here we can fundamentally distinguish two categories, fresh water and salt water. Within the category of fresh water we find rivers, lakes, ponds, ponds, runoff, channeled water and, not least, the water stored below the water table in the form of groundwater. Salt water is found in seas and oceans. Although it represents a residual percentage, water in a liquid state is also contained within living beings.
• Water in a gaseous state: the atmosphere always has a certain composition of water, which varies depending on the location, the time of year, etc.

The hydrosphere is made up of a total of approximately 1.4 trillion km ³ of water. This amount of water is distributed on Earth in this way:

• 97% in seas and oceans.
• 2.5% in the form of fresh water.
• The remaining 0.5% is distributed among the rest of the locations.

Learn more about the Distribution of water in the world with this other post.

The water cycle is made up of several phases:

1. Evapotranspiration: evaporation occurs both in large areas of water and in areas of land. In addition, the vegetation cover causes transpiration, the emission of water into the atmosphere by virtue of its metabolic cycles. The combination of both is known as evapotranspiration.
2. Precipitation: the water emitted into the atmosphere condenses and falls as precipitation to the earth’s surface. This precipitation can occur in a solid form, such as snow or ice, which can be stored in deposits or undergo fusion to a liquid state. Precipitation can also fall as rain.
3. Runoff: these last two processes give rise to runoff phenomena, or water circulation over the earth’s surface, where they give rise to erosive phenomena.

We explain more about what the water cycle is in this other post from AgroCorrn.

The hydrosphere can be contaminated by many different components such as:

• Chemical compounds such as oils and other solvents.
• Heavy metals .
• Plastics and microplastics .
• Compounds with biological actions.
• Organic material.

Each of these elements generates a particular problem that adds to the contamination of the hydrosphere or water and that must be studied carefully. However, all of them contribute to the global deterioration of the hydrosphere , with harmful effects on ecosystems and people’s health.

In this other AgroCorrn article we explain everything about Water Pollution: what it is, causes, consequences and solutions , among more data. In addition, here below we leave two videos from our YouTube channel, one about water pollution and the other about the hydrosphere. We hope you like them and find them useful!