Ecosphere23 – there are many subsystems that make up the natural environment (the planetary ecosystem or "ecosphere") of the Earth. Many of the subsystems are characterized as "spheres", coinciding with the shape of the planet. The four spheres (for which most of the other spheres are a subtype of) are the atmosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere and the geosphere. Earth's ecosphere lies it self within the heliosphere (the Sun's astrosphere).4 Listed roughly from outermost to innermost the named spheres of the Earth are:
Atmospheric sciences – The study of the atmosphere, its processes, and interactions with other systems
Geography – The science that studies the terrestrial surface, the societies that inhabit it and the territories, landscapes, places or regions that form it.
Oceanography – The study of the physical and biological aspects of the ocean
Planetary science – The study of planets (including Earth), moons, and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes that form them.
History of Earth science – history of the all-embracing sciences related to Earth. Earth science and all of its branches are branches of physical science.
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"A Lexicon of the Spheres" (PDF). Oregon State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20161018011127/http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/fs/turner/pdfs/lexicon_of_the_spheres.pdf ↩
"ESO 2 Science 11: The Ecosphere and the Ecosystems". Science Helpdesk. http://www.sciencehelpdesk.com/unit/science2/11 ↩
Sterken, Veerle J.; Baalmann, Lennart R.; Draine, Bruce T.; Godenko, Egor; Herbst, Konstantin; Hsu, Hsiang-Wen; Hunziker, Silvan; Izmodenov, Vladislav; Lallement, Rosine; Slavin, Jonathan D. (2022). "Dust in and Around the Heliosphere and Astrospheres". Space Science Reviews. 218 (8). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1007/s11214-022-00939-7. hdl:20.500.11850/585419. ISSN 0038-6308. https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11214-022-00939-7 ↩