hydrosphere

A component of the climate system that encompasses all the liquid water found on the solid part of the Earth's surface (oceans, seas, rivers, lakes...) and underground (aquifers, subterranean currents). In the division used in Earth sciences, the hydrosphere also includes water in a solid state (ice, snow, permafrost); however, from a climatic point of view, the cryosphere is one more component or subsystem, independent of the hydrosphere, which interacts with it.