hydrosphere
From Glossary of Meteorology
The water portion of the earth as distinguished from the solid part, called the lithosphere, and from the gaseous outer envelope, called the atmosphere.
The hydrosphere includes snow, ice, and glaciers. Sometimes the water in the atmosphere, which includes water vapor, clouds, and all forms of precipitation while still in the atmosphere, is included in the term hydrosphere.
See also biosphere, geosphere.
