Subject Matter of Physical Geography

physical geography is not only the agglomeration and unification of earth sciences, but it also
studies the patterns of interactions between human activities and physical environment. The
field of physical geography is very vast and has several branches. Everything in Earth's system can
be placed into one of four major subsystems: land, water, living things, or air. These four subsystems are
called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere"
(living things), and "atmosphere" (air). Each of these four spheres can be further divided into sub-
spheres. Environmentalists use this system to classify and study the organic and inorganic materials
found in the Earth. Although the four systems have their individual identities, there is important
interaction between them. The spheres of earth are closely connected to each other. A change in
one sphere results in change in two or more spheres.

Lithosphere: The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth. The lithosphere includes
the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s structure.
The earth’s crust is not a homogeneous substance; it has different layers of rocks
including sedimentary rocks on top, granitic and metamorphic rocks in the middle, and basaltic
rocks on the bottom.
The earth’s crust also consists of several large dynamic tectonic plates. These tectonic plates
move slowly but continuously at an average rate of around 10 cm. Considering this, there was no
Atlantic Ocean, and North America and Europe together were one continent 180 million years
ago. The Atlantic Ocean came into being because of the drifting apart from the Eurasian and
North America plates. The uppermost part of the lithosphere that chemically reacts to the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere through the soil-forming process is called the
pedosphere. It is bounded by the atmosphere above and the asthenosphere (another part of the
upper mantle) below. Although the rocks of the lithosphere are still considered elastic, they are
not viscous. There are two types of lithosphere: oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere.
Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust, and is slightly denser than continental
lithosphere.
Hydrosphere: The hydrosphere is the combined mass of water found on, under, and above the
surface of the earth. It has been estimated that there are 1386 million cubic kilometer of water on
earth. This includes water in liquid and frozen forms in groundwater, oceans, lakes and streams
approximately 75% of Earth’s surface, an area of some 361 million square kilometer is covered
by ocean. A planet's hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice. On Earth, liquid water exists on the
surface in the form of oceans, lakes and rivers. It also exists below ground—as groundwater,
in wells and aquifers. Water vapor is most visible as clouds and fog. The frozen part
of Earth's hydrosphere is made of ice: glaciers, ice caps and icebergs. The frozen part of
the hydrosphere has its own name, the cryosphere. The hydrological cycle transfers water from
one state or reservoir to another. Reservoirs include atmospheric moisture including snow, rain
and clouds, streams, oceans, rivers lakes, groundwater, subterranean aquifers, polar icecaps and
saturated soil. Water moves through the hydrosphere in what is known as the Water
Cycle or Hydrologic Cycle. Namely, water collects in clouds before falling to Earth as rain or
snow. This water then collects in water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and rivers. From the water
bodies, it evaporates into the atmosphere and the cycle continues. The hydrosphere is of great
importance as it plays an integral role in the survival of all life forms. Each cell in a living
organism is composed of at least 75% water. No cell would survive or be able to carry its
normal functions without water. The hydrosphere provides an important place for a wide range
of plants and animals to live. It plays a significant role in regulating temperatures on earth,
ensuring temperatures remain within a range that is suitable for the existence of life.

Atmosphere: Atmosphere is the gas and aerosol envelope that extends from the ocean, land, and
ice-covered surface of a planet outward into space. The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that
surrounds the planet. On Earth, the atmosphere helps make life possible. Besides providing us
with something to breathe, it shields us from most of the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation
coming from the Sun, warms the surface of our planet by about 33° C (59° F) via the greenhouse
effect, and largely prevents extreme differences between daytime and nighttime
temperatures. Earth’s atmosphere stretches from the surface of the planet up to as far as 10,000
kilometers (6,214 miles) above. After that, the atmosphere blends into space. While oxygen is
necessary for most life on Earth, the majority of Earth’s atmosphere is not oxygen. Earth’s
atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and
0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are
some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent. The atmosphere is divided into
five different layers, based on temperature_
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere , exosphere. We live in the troposphere,
the lowest layer, where most clouds are found and almost all weather occurs. Some jet aircraft
fly in the next higher layer, the stratosphere, which contains the jet streams and the ozone layer.
Temperatures react their lowest in the mesosphere, because the there are almost no air molecules
there to absorb heat energy. The sky also changes from blue to black in the mesosphere, because
there are so few molecules for light to refract off of there. And fartherst from the surface we have
the thermosphere, which is the widest layer of the atmosphere and absorbs much of the harmful
radiation that reaches Earth from th Sun. The exosphere represents the transition from Earth's
atmosphere to space.

Biosphere: The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists. The biosphere is a
narrow zone on the surface of the earth where soil, water, and air combine to sustain life. Life can
only occur in this zone. From fungi and bacteria to large animals, there are several different types of
life.
The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environment of ocean
trenches, to lush rain forests and high mountaintops. Since life exists on the ground, in the air,
and in the water, the biosphere overlaps all these spheres. Although the biosphere measures
about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from top to bottom, almost all life exists between about 500
meters (1,640 feet) below the ocean’s surface to about 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) above sea level.
The biosphere is sometimes thought of as one large ecosystem—a complex community of living
and nonliving things functioning as a single unit. More often, however, the biosphere is
described as having many ecosystems.It encompasses all forms of life on Earth as well as all
habitats capable of sustaining life. There are many biomes that make up the biosphere. These areas
have unique climates, vegetation, wildlife, and adaptations that must be met in order to live.