hydrosphere

American  

[hahy-druh-sfeer] / ˈhaɪ drəˌsfɪər /

noun

1. the water on or surrounding the surface of the globe, including the water of the oceans and the water in the atmosphere.

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hydrosphere British  

/ ˈhaɪdrəˌsfɪə /

noun

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

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hydrosphere Scientific  

/ hī′drə-sfîr′ /

1. All of the Earth's water, including surface water (water in oceans, lakes, and rivers), groundwater (water in soil and beneath the Earth's surface), snowcover, ice, and water in the atmosphere, including water vapor.

2. Compare asthenosphere atmosphere lithosphere

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Other Word Forms

• hydrospheric adjective

Etymology

Origin of hydrosphere

First recorded in 1885–90; hydro- ¹ + -sphere

Explanation

The hydrosphere is the part of a planet that's made of water. Oceans, rivers, lakes, and clouds are all typically included in the hydrosphere. The watery parts of our planet, including vapor that hovers above the Earth's surface and water that's underground, make up its hydrosphere. Most of this water is salty, found in oceans, seas, estuaries, and other salty spots. Some of it is frozen into ice caps and permanent snow cover. Hydrosphere combines the Greek root hydro-, "water," and sphere, "globe, cosmos, or space," from the Greek sphaira, "globe or ball."

Example Sentences

These tiny plastic particles have been detected throughout all major parts of the Earth system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.

From Science Daily • Jan. 12, 2026

“People have talked about water worlds and thick hydrosphere planets off and on for 20 years,” says Jonathan Fortney, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who was not involved in the work.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2023

First, the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere are linked.

From Scientific American • Jul. 6, 2022

Audience members watch as Sagan encounters eccentric characters representing the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, as well as a man trying to find a way to escape the planet through space travel.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2021

The present outer envelope of air may be considered to be the surviving relic of this condition, after all the other constituents have been incorporated into the hydrosphere and lithosphere.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6 "Geodesy" to "Geometry" by Various