The water vapor acts as a greenhouse gas and, together with other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2), creates the conditions for both liquid surface water and water vapor to persist via the capturing of energy from the Sun's light. Water vapor is widely present in the atmosphere, forming clouds that cover most of the planet. It has a composition of primarily nitrogen and oxygen. Inside the Earth's crust is a liquid outer core that generates the magnetosphere, deflecting most of the destructive solar winds and cosmic radiation.Įarth has a dynamic atmosphere, which sustains Earth's surface conditions and protects it from most meteoroids and UV-light at entry.

Below the planet's surface lies the crust, consisting of several slowly moving tectonic plates, which interact to produce mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The other 29.2% of the Earth's surface is land, consisting of continents and islands, and is widely covered by vegetation. Most of all other water is retained in Earth's polar regions, with large sheets of ice covering ocean and land, dwarfing Earth's groundwater, lakes, rivers and atmospheric water.

Earth is the only planet confirmed to sustain liquid surface water, with ocean water extending over 70.8% of the planet, making it an ocean world. Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only place known in the universe where life has originated and found habitability.

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