Wondering – “How does the hydrosphere Interact with the Biosphere?”
In this article, we will be breaking down some important topics, topics about the hydrosphere, and the biosphere.
Mother Earth has been said by Geographers to be made up of Four (4) Systems that are self-sustaining. These systems are the Lithosphere, the Hydrosphere, the Atmosphere, and the Biosphere.
Three of the four systems are Abiotic (Meaning they are made up of non-living things) and one is Biotic (Made up of living things).
Can you guess which one is biotic? I’ll leave you to figure that out!
These four systems overlap and interact with each other and in this article, we would be looking at two of these interactions.
The Biosphere interacts with the hydrosphere in a couple of ways, one would be the provision of water to elements of the biosphere such as the animals and plants, to ensure healthy growth.
So get a tall glass of something chill, sit back, and please, do read on.
The Hydrosphere: What is it?
When answering questions like “How does the Biosphere interact with the Hydrosphere?” Knowing what these two spheres are is quite important.
You see, the Hydrosphere is the combined or total amount(or mass) of water found on and under the Earth.
And that includes water found in the soil, the air, oceans, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and basically all streams in the world.
The Earth is estimated to contain 330 million cubic miles (about 1.386 cubic kilometers) of water which is approximately 71% of the entire Earth.
Note: The hydrosphere is constantly in motion, it might be quite obvious (like in streams and rivers), and less obvious (like in lakes and ponds).
What Is the Importance of the Hydrosphere?
It is clear that the Hydrosphere is quite important to the Earth, but why is this so?
Well for one, the Hydrosphere (being water), sustains all forms of life on Earth and plays a major role in preserving the ecosystem.
Its interaction with the other Earth’s spheres is quite crucial to the survival of Earth, as almost everything on Earth depends on the Hydrosphere.
Each cell in living organisms have about 75%water in them, and this allows cells to function normally. Cells cannot function normally and life cannot exist without water.
How Does This Interaction Regulate Temperature?
Also, we humans use water in a variety of ways. The most common use of water would be drinking it.
Water can also be used in regular household activities households such as cleaning and washing, and also in industries.
Water is also used to generate electricity from hydroelectric power.
The specific heat of water is a unique property. This shows that a lot of heat is taken up by water to be heated and also, a lot of time is equally taken to cool down.
So this helps to regulate the temperature on Earth, as it keeps all life on Earth within an acceptable temperature range that is good for their existence.
The Biosphere: What is it?
Now that we know a little about the Hydrosphere, up next is the Biosphere and how is the Biosphere important to the Earth.
The Biosphere, also called the Ecosphere, is the complete sum or we can say, the worldwide sum of all the ecosystems that exist on Earth.
Simply put, it is the Earth’s zone of life.
You can basically classify the biosphere as an area or narrow zone where living things are contained, as well as the products of their activities.
Note: Some Important resources are being provided by the Biosphere. Resources like medicine, food, fuel, and construction materials.
So the Importance of the Biosphere to earth is quite high.
What Is the Importance of the Biosphere?
So how is the Biosphere important to Mother Earth?
First off, the ecosystem that is needed for survival is provided by the Biosphere as organisms are expected to adapt to the climate of the biosphere.
Within the ecosystems, there is a lot of Biodiversities or biological variety. And as such the biosphere serves as a reliable food source.
The Biosphere Reserve
A safe place to protect animals and plants is called a biosphere reserve. It could also help in restoring the traditional lifestyle of the tribes in the area.
These biosphere reserves protect the biodiversity of the area.
The biosphere is the highest level of the ecological organization. It also covers all kinds of life, not just all biomes on Earth.
The biosphere also acts as a life-support system for the planet, helping to control soil health, atmospheric composition, and the water cycle.
This is an indication of the contributions made by the biomes to Mother Earth.
So, How Does the Hydrosphere Interact with the Biosphere?
Now we know a lot about the hydrosphere and the biosphere, but then, how do they both interact with each other?
Well, if you know a little about how gasses are exchanged between the atmosphere and biosphere, it kinda is similar to the exchange of water between both spheres (i.e. The hydrosphere and the biosphere).
We already established that living organisms require water for survival, and this water is taken from sources of the hydrosphere. Sources like aquifers, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
For instance, let’s say a deer gets thirsty and heads over to a lake or pond to quench its thirst.
Now after siping from that pond or lake, it exhales the water thereby recycling it and then excreting it as waste.
Also, a fish or any aquatic animal breathes in oxygen contained in water, and then after a while, excretes that water back out into the sea.
Can Biosphere Alter Hydrosphere?
Parts of the Hydrosphere could also be chemically altered by the biosphere.
An example of this would be a scenario where excess algae exist in a pond. The pond over time would eventually become quite murky and turn green.
This is because the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water would become altered by the excess algae.
All these could cause the fishes and any other aquatic organisms that depend on the dissolved oxygen to die.
Another scenario would be that of microorganisms releasing toxins that could lead to the deaths of other organisms in coastal areas that are warm.
The United States Gulf Coasts would be an excellent example of these warm coastal areas.
There are so many microorganisms in the Gulf Coasts that bloom, producing a lot of toxins.
These toxins could kill birds, turtles, fishes, and so many other marine or aquatic mammals.
Such blooms coil equally present both in rivers and lakes.
The hydrosphere could also be altered by the biosphere, by creating and introducing toxins that could dissolve in the water and then get ingested or absorbed by other elements of the biosphere.
This could result in a mass loss of fish lives.
Conclusion
Well, that’s all we’ve got for you in this article. I really do hope that you got the answers to the question “How does the Hydrosphere Interact with the Biosphere?”
As we already know, the four major spheres of the earth system (i.e the atmosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere).
Overlap each other, engaging in constant interactions..
The Biosphere and Hydrosphere are two very important spheres in the earth’s system and their interactions are crucial to the growth and sustenance of the Earth.
Plants and animals (the biosphere), require water (the hydrosphere) to live, grow and function properly.
If you’ve got more questions you need answers to, do check out our previous articles, you might learn something new.
For now, drink a lot of water and stay good!
