hydrosphere

hy·dro·sphere

H0349400 (hī′drə-sfîr′)n.1. The waters of the earth's surface as distinguished from those of the lithosphere and the atmosphere.2. The water vapor in the earth's atmosphere.

hy′dro·spher′ic (-sfîr′ĭk, -sfĕr′-) adj.

hydrosphere

(ˈhaɪdrəˌsfɪə) n (Physical Geography) the watery part of the earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, water vapour in the atmosphere, etc ˌhydroˈspheric adj

hy•dro•sphere

(ˈhaɪ drəˌsfɪər)

n. the water on or surrounding the surface of the globe, including the water of the oceans and the water in the atmosphere. [1885–90]

hy·dro·sphere

(hī′drə-sfîr′) All of the Earth's water, including surface water (water in oceans, lakes, and rivers), groundwater (water beneath the Earth's surface), ice, and water vapor in the atmosphere. Compare asthenosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere.

Thesaurus

Noun

hydrosphere - the watery layer of the earth's surface; includes water vaporlayer - a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under anotherbody of water, water - the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean); "they invaded our territorial waters"; "they were sitting by the water's edge"earth, globe, world - the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on; "the Earth moves around the sun"; "he sailed around the world"briny, main - any very large body of (salt) waterocean - a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrospheresea - a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

Translations

hidrosferahydrosphèreidrosferaгидросфера

hydrosphere

the watery part of the earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, water vapour in the atmosphere, etc.

Hydrosphere

the interrupted water covering of the earth, which is distributed between the atmosphere and the solid crust of the earth (lithosphere) and makes up the totality of oceans, seas, and surface waters of the land masses. In a broader sense the hydrosphere also includes subterranean waters and the ice and snow of the arctic and antarctic regions, as well as atmospheric water and water contained in living organisms. The principal mass of water of the hydrosphere is concentrated in the seas and oceans. The second largest mass of water by volume is taken up by subterranean waters, and the third largest mass is the ice and snow of the arctic and antarctic regions. Surface waters of dry land and atmospheric and biologically bound waters make up a fraction of a percent of the general volume of water of the hydrosphere. The chemical composition of the hydrosphere is similar to the average composition of seawater.

Surface waters, which occupy a relatively small fraction of the general mass of the hydrosphere, nevertheless play an extremely important role in the life of our planet, since they are the basic source of water supply and irrigation. The waters of the hydrosphere constantly interact with the atmosphere, the earth’s crust, and the biosphere. The interaction of these waters and the mutual transformations from one type of water to another constitute the complex water cycle on the planet. The hydrosphere was the first part of earth to sustain life. Only at the beginning of the Paleozoic era did plant and animal organisms begin to move gradually to dry land.

A. A. SOKOLOV

hydrosphere

[′hī·drə‚sfir] (hydrology) The water portion of the earth as distinguished from the solid part (lithosphere) and from the gaseous outer envelope (atmosphere).

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Words related to hydrosphere

noun the watery layer of the earth's surface

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