GEMET
General
Multilingual
Environmental
Thesaurus
hydrosphere
Definition

The waters of the Earth, as distinguished from the rocks (lithosphere), living things (biosphere), and the air (atmosphere). Includes the waters of the ocean; rivers, lakes, and other bodies of surface water in liquid form on the continents; snow, ice, and glaciers; and liquid water, ice, and water vapour in both the unsaturated and saturated zones below the land surface. Included by some, but excluded by others, is water in the atmosphere , which includes water vapour, clouds, and all forms of precipitation while still in the atmosphere.

Themes:
Other relations
Scope note

Scope note is not available.

Concept URL: http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/4124