ABSTRACT
The environment is made up of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The atmosphere is relatively simple and its composition is relatively stable. Only those elements, compounds, ions, and molecules that are gases or that can remain suspended in the atmosphere will stay there for a significant period of time. The hydrosphere is more complex, having various levels of salts and other compounds that originate in the lithosphere containing it. The lithosphere is far more complex and can contain all the elements, compounds, molecules, and ions present in the Earth. The three parts of the environment cannot be separated from each other. Components occurring in one sphere can and do move into the other spheres.
