crustmantleoceanatmosphere

The crust-mantle-ocean-atmosphere system refers to the interconnected set of Earth’s outer layers and major reservoirs of mass and energy: the crust (continental and oceanic), the mantle, the oceans, and the atmosphere. These components exchange heat, mass, and volatiles, and their interactions shape surface geology, climate, and the conditions that support life. Heat from the Sun and internal radioactive decay provide energy that drives processes across all four components.

The crust and mantle are linked by plate tectonics, driven by mantle convection. Subduction, seafloor spreading, and continental collision continually remodel the crust and recycle surface materials into the mantle. The oceans and atmosphere exchange heat, water, and gases, with the hydrological cycle connecting them through evaporation, precipitation, and circulation. Weathering of rocks on land and at coastlines removes CO2 from the atmosphere and mobilizes carbon into soils, rivers, and oceans, forming carbonates and sediments that can be stored for long periods.

A central feature of the system is the carbon cycle, which operates across crust, mantle, ocean, and atmosphere. Volcanic degassing and tectonic activity add CO2 to the atmosphere and oceans, while burial of carbonate rocks and organic matter stores carbon over geologic timescales. The exchange of water among oceans, atmosphere, and crust via evaporation, precipitation, and groundwater movement sustains the global water cycle. These interactions regulate climate and surface conditions on scales from decades to millions of years.

Human activities perturb the system by releasing greenhouse gases, altering land use, and changing ocean chemistry, which in turn affect climate and biogeochemical feedbacks. Studying the crust-mantle-ocean-atmosphere system integrates geology, geophysics, oceanography, and atmospheric science to understand past states and anticipate future changes.