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Chapter 23: Global Change in the Earth System
Animations
Click on the links below to view animations created specifically for Earth: Portrait of a Planet. Animations require Macromedia's Flash Plug-in.
Zoomable Art: The Earth System
The Earth's surface is the interface among the solid Earth (the lithosphere); the ice and liquid water of oceans, lakes, streams, groundwater, and glaciers (the hydrosphere); and the planet's gaseous envelope (the atmosphere). Countless species of life, ranging from microscopic bacteria to giant whales and trees, make up the complex ecosystems of Earth's biosphere. All of these components—the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere—interact with each other. These components and the interactions among them constitute the Earth System. For more information, see the Featured Painting on pp. 806-807 in your textbook.