Earth's Hydrosphere --- Is It Important?

Among all the planets in the Solar System, Earth is the only planet which can support life. One of the reasons why Earth sustains human lives is water. All living things such as plants, animals and us humans require water for body structures and for making or digesting food.

        
       The Earth’s hydrosphere consists of water (H₂O), sodium chloride (NaCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl₂). By mass, the major elements are oxygen (almost 86%), hydrogen (10.7%), chlorine (2%) and sodium (1%). Magnesium is the only other element present in significant quantities. (Brockhampton, 1995)

            It is one of the most common substances on Earth. It covers over 70% of the surface of the Earth. Its volume is approximately equal to 1,500,000,000 cubic kilometers (350,000,000 cubic miles), of which 99% is contained in the discontinuous oceanic water layer--including the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.

Lake

Ocean

River

            Indeed, Earth’s hydrosphere is important because it exists as a liquid in vast quantities in the oceans, rivers, and lakes. It occurs as solid ice at the North And South poles. It is also present in small amounts as water vapor in the atmosphere.

Here are some reasons why Earth’s hydrosphere is important:

1. It is the only substance on Earth that is in liquid form at the temperatures commonly found on the Surface of our planet.
2. It is a wonderful solvent, meaning that other substances regularly and easily dissolve into it. This allows water to carry nutrients to cells, and carry waste away from them.
3. Offshore oil and gas wells currently supply about 17% of global petroleum production (most of these wells are in the shallow waters of the continental shelves) (Oxford, A., 1997)
4. 90% of all photosynthesis and release of free oxygen takes place in the oceans. (Oxford, A., 1997)
5. Current annual food harvests from the oceans amount to about 52.2 million metric tons of fish, 1.5 million metric tons of large whales and about 700,000 metric tons of seaweed (Oxford, A., 1997)
6. It provides an important place for many animals and plants to live.

It is really obvious that humans utilize water in a number of way like drinking water, washing clothes or dishes, taking a bath, watering the plants, etc. Water can also be used to generate electricity through hydro-power.

    These are just a few of the very important functions that water plays on our planet. Many of the functions of water relate to its chemistry and to the way in which it is able to dissolve substances in it.

     It is really essential to take good care of our water because it is the only thing which sustains and gives life to the things living on Earth. Just for an instance, when I’m washing my clothes, I only use the right amount of water, and after, I use it in washing my father’s car.

           

    All of us should be wise in using our water because we’ll never know what lies ahead, maybe someday (hope it will never come true), our waters will dry out and we will be greedy just to save the last drop of it.

            SO, LET US SAVE THE EARTH”S HYDROSPHERE!