In physical geography, the term "Hydrospehere" ( Greek hydro means "water" ) describes the collective mass of water found on, under, and over a planet's surface. The Earth's hydrosphere consists chiefly the oceans, but technically includes clouds, inlands seas, lakes, rivers,, and undergroundwaters. The earth's appears to be a blue planet when seen from outer space. this is because more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface is water. We call this the hydrosphere. (www.newworldencyclopedia.org)
The hydrosphere is important for many reason. It is essential to life. Neither plants nor animals can live without it. It provides the water that is needed by all living things. Not only do we drink water but we also use fresh water to irrigate the land. This enable us to grow food without having to rely on rain and we can grow more food this way. Oceans, lakes and rivers are themselves important sources of food. Fish is the major source of protein for many people around the world, and much of our salt comes from the sea, and this help flavor our food and also important natural preservatives.
Even though we often perceived water to be very ordinary, we are dependent of water for survival. We use water for different activities like washing our clothes, cleaning, bathing and cooking. We are about two-thirds of water ourselves and require water to live. Life as we know it could not have been evolved without water and dies without it.
The hydrosphere covers 3 quarters of the Earth's surface. A major part of the hydrosphere is the marine ecosystem in the ocean, while only a small part is fresh water. The fresh water in rivers, lakes and glaciers is perpetually being renewed by process of evaporation and rainfall;some of this fresh water is stored in underground aquires. Human activities, like deforestation, create serious changes in the hydrosphere . Once the land is denuded of vegetation,the rain erodes the soil,which is then washed into the sea.
Chemicals from industry and sewage find their way into rivers and into the sea. Water pollution thus theaterns the health of communities,as all our lives depend on the availability of clean water.This once plentiful resource is now becoming rare and expensive due to pollution. Water also affects the weather, thus water can directly or indirectly add to the extremity of weather conditions such as drought brought by El Nino and the long rainy season La Nina. We should protect our hydrosphere in order for us to have a good source of water to drink and good source of food from our oceans and rivers. Neglecting the importance of hydrosphere can lead to water shortage and we humans will suffer and face the consequences of not taking care of our water resources.
