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How do oceans, glaciers, groundwater, and atmospheric water vapour make up Earth’s hydrosphere?
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hydrosphere
Earth's environment includes the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.
The hydrosphere is a discontinuous layer of water at or near Earth’s surface, encompassing all liquid and frozen surface waters, groundwater, and atmospheric water vapour. These components function as interconnected reservoirs within the water cycle, which continuously circulates water through the Earth-atmosphere system.123
The distribution of these waters is as follows:
- Oceans: These contain approximately 96.5 percent of Earth’s water, serving as the primary reservoir and the main source of atmospheric moisture.41
- Glaciers and Ice: Permanent ice, including glaciers and polar ice caps, accounts for about 1.74 percent of total water, effectively locking up a significant portion of the planet's fresh water.41
- Groundwater: Found in the pore spaces of soil and rock, groundwater makes up roughly 1.69 percent of the hydrosphere.41
- Atmospheric Water Vapour: While representing only about 0.001 percent of the total hydrosphere, this vapour is essential to the hydrologic cycle, facilitating the transport of moisture from oceans to land surfaces through evaporation and precipitation.413
Through these processes, the hydrosphere maintains the planet's habitability and shapes its surface features.12