What is the hydrosphere

What is the hydrosphere (or water shell) of the Earth? This term is used to refer to one of the geospheres of our planet, which is the totality of all H ₂ O states - solid, liquid and gaseous, contained on the Earth.

The volume of water present on our planet is a huge figure - more than 1.5 billion cubic kilometers. Of these, the lion's share (ninety-six percent) is the saline waters of the World Ocean. Glaciers and surface fresh water account for about two percent, and very little (a fraction of a percent) is the moisture contained in the atmosphere in the form of water vapor (clouds and natural air humidity).

In order to thoroughly understand what the hydrosphere is and what its impact on people's lives is, it is necessary to study in more detail the processes taking place on the Earth (primarily meteorological ones) in which it participates. To begin with, water has the ability to "store" heat. That is why the climate of the territories adjacent to the seas, oceans or simply large water bodies, has some difference from the climate of the regions lying within the continents at the same latitude. There are concepts of "maritime climate", "continental climate". Large masses of water, warming during the warm season, then slowly give up the accumulated heat, so that the winters on the coast are much softer than the continental ones. And vice versa: after winter the cooled water makes the summer cooler.

An addition to the question of what the hydrosphere is, there will be a topic dedicated to the so-called cryosphere, or "cold sphere" - in Greek. The cryosphere is that part of the hydrosphere that contains water in solid form. It includes not only glaciers (mountain or shelf), but also snow cover, seasonal ice cover of reservoirs, as well as permafrost. Thus, the cryosphere does not have clear boundaries, and its area and location change somewhat in different seasons.

In the water shell, according to most scientists, earthly life began. Therefore, the hydrosphere is so important for us. Its composition and structure underwent some changes during the historical period. These include fluctuations in the groundwater table, some increase and decrease in the ocean level, aridization and humidization of the climate in fairly large areas. Historically, the level of the Caspian Sea in the Middle Ages was significantly lower than the current one, and there were numerous islands on it. On one of these islands, the Shah of Khorezm, defeated by Genghis Khan, found his death. This event is recorded in the chronicles.

But not only the water shell of the Earth affects human life, in the twentieth century the reverse process has begun and is gaining momentum. The human impact on the hydrosphere is not only the contamination of groundwater or ocean waters. The economic activity of people has led to the fact that the average temperature of our planet has slightly increased, which led to the melting of perennial glaciers. Snow Kilimanjaro, which gave the name to the immortal creation of Hemingway, in the twentieth century lost eighty-two (!) Percent of the area, and this process continues. More and more he loses his cover and Mont Blanc (in French - White Mountain).

So, what is the hydrosphere, its composition and impact on man, we have at least sorted out. The question remains - will human activity become destructive for the hydrosphere? Can, really, the Hollywood films-catastrophes in which all glaciers melt and the Earth is covered by the boundless ocean are actual? Most specialists do not hurry with an unambiguous answer, believing that there is too little data for a final solution. Fluctuations in average annual temperatures existed earlier, causing glacial periods and thaws. With human activity they, of course, can not be connected in any way. Most likely, the processes taking place in the body of our planet and its immediate environment have not been studied enough. What is really happening - this question will be answered by scientists working at the junctures of science - geology, astronomy, meteorology, ecology. And, perhaps, soon.