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."