Components of Environment
Components of Environment
There are four major components of Environment;
1. Atmosphere
2. Hydrosphere
3. Lithosphere
4. Biosphere
1. Atmosphere
1. Atmosphere
Simply, gaseous layer surrounding the earth.
Definition
Atmosphere is a protective layer of gases that
shelters all life on Earth, keeping temperatures
within a relatively small range and blocking out
harmful rays of sunlight
1. Atmosphere
▪ It mainly comprises 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen etc.
▪ In addition, there are water vapors, traces of CO2, dust and smoke particles
etc. in suspended state.
1. Atmosphere
Features of the Atmosphere
• Helps retain the sun’s heat and prevents it from escaping back into space.
• Protects life from harmful radiation from the sun.
• Plays a major role in Earth’s water cycle.
• Helps keep the climate on Earth moderate.
There is no boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The atmosphere
gets less dense and denser until it “blends” into outer space.
Structure of Atmosphere
Structure of Atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere has a series of layers,
each with its own specific traits. These
layers are named as:
❑ Troposphere
❑ Stratosphere
❑ Mesosphere
❑ Thermosphere
❑ Exosphere
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Troposphere
▪ The troposphere is the lowest layer of our
atmosphere.
▪ Height of the troposphere varies.
▪ Average height of the troposphere is 13 km
▪ Most of the weather phenomena and
clouds occurs in this layer.
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Troposphere
▪ The air pressure in the atmosphere is greatest in the troposphere
▪ The air density in the atmosphere decreases as we travel higher in altitude. As
altitude increases, the amount of gas molecules in the air decreases.
▪ The zone separating troposphere from the stratosphere is known as
tropopause.
Structure of Atmosphere
❑ Stratosphere
▪ The stratosphere extends from the top of the
troposphere to about 52 km (32 miles)
above the ground.
▪ Ozone layer is found within the
stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer
absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from
the Sun.
Structure of Atmosphere
❑ Stratosphere
▪ The upper limit of the stratosphere is known as Stratopause.
▪ Clouds rarely form
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Mesosphere
▪ The mesosphere is above the stratosphere. It extends upward to a height of
about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet.
▪ The upper limit of the mesosphere is known as mesopause.
▪ Meteors or falling stars occur in this layer.
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Mesosphere
▪ Coldest layer of earth’s atmosphere
▪ Temperature starts decreasing with increasing altitude (can reach up to –90
degree Celsius).
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Thermosphere
▪ The layer above the mesosphere (between 80 and 400 km above
mesopause) is called thermosphere.
▪ High energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the
thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of
degrees.
▪ It contains electrically charged particles known as ions, and hence, it is also
known as the Ionosphere.
Structure of Atmosphere Continue..
❑ Exosphere
▪ The exosphere is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere
▪ Gases are very sparse in this sphere due to the lack of gravitational force.
Therefore, the density of air is very less here.
2. Hydrosphere
2. Hydrosphere
• It comprises of all forms of water
bodies on earth including oceans,
seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams etc.
• About 71 percent of the Earth's
surface is water-covered,.
2. Hydrosphere
Distribution of water
distribution of water on the Earth’s
surface is extremely uneven
Pennsylvania State University
2. Hydrosphere
Distribution of water
▪ 97.5% of water found on Earth is in the oceans in the form of salt water.
▪ Only 2.5 % of water on Earth is freshwater. Out of this, 30.8% is available
as groundwater and 68.9% is in frozen forms as in glaciers. Amount of 0.3%
is available in rivers, reservoirs and lakes and is easily accessible to man.
3. Lithosphere
3. Lithosphere
▪ It is the rigid, rocky and outermost
layer of earth
▪ includes the crust and the uppermost
mantle.
▪ Its depth can reach up to 100 kilometers
3. Lithosphere
▪ main component of lithosphere is earth’s tectonic plates.
▪ Tectonic plates are gigantic pieces of the Earth's crust and uppermost
mantle
4. Biosphere
4. Biosphere
▪ The term Biosphere was coined by
Geologist Edward Suess.
▪ refers to all the regions on
Earth where life exists.
▪ The biosphere, also known as the
Ecosphere, is the worldwide sum
of all ecosystems.
4. Biosphere Continue..
▪ The ecosystems that support life could be in soil, air, water or land.
Example: Where live occurs on, above and below the surface of Earth.
Thank You
