Earth's surface vs Earth surface

Both "earth's surface" and "earth surface" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Earth's surface" is used when referring to the surface of the Earth as a possessive form, while "earth surface" is used when describing the surface of the Earth without indicating possession.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 881 views

Earth's surface

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to the surface of the Earth as a possessive form.

Use "earth's surface" when you want to indicate possession, such as in the sentence: "The temperature of Earth's surface varies greatly."

Examples:

The earth's surface is covered by water.
The plants on Earth's surface provide oxygen for living organisms.
The minerals found on Earth's surface are valuable resources.
The Earth's surface is constantly changing due to natural processes.
The study of Earth's surface features is called geomorphology.

Show examples from the web [+]

Let's first look at the relationship of ultraviolet radiation to the Earth's surface.
Geo-referenced image data of the Earth's surface, from either satellite or airborne sensors.
16 terawatts of energy hits the Earth's surface every 88 minutes.
And the thick, noxious atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide, and it has an atmospheric pressure about 90 times that on Earth's surface.
Point spatial object which describes the elevation of an Earth's surface at a specific location.
An air burst is when a meteoroid or a comet explodes in the atmosphere before reaching the Earth's surface.
The TOMS 7 satellite data, shown here, show the annual average ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface.
And he chose images that would give a cloud-free view of every square inch of the Earth's surface.
Due to the environmental pressures resulting from centuries of human activity, wilderness areas today cover only 46% of the Earth's surface.
It describes, together with other contour lines present in the area, the local morphology of the Earth's surface.
An inland body of permanently standing water, usually fresh, occupying a depression on the Earth's surface closed by a dam.
Any relatively sunken part of the Earth's surface; especially a low-lying area surrounded by higher ground.
As 71% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, it really does make sense to try and develop an integrated maritime policy.
I welcome the importance attached to ensuring that the required radio spectrum is available for monitoring the atmosphere and the Earth's surface.
The trip back to the picnic on the lakefront will be a sped-up version, reducing the distance to the Earth's surface by one power of ten every two seconds.
There would have been a time in which the sunlight was simply shut out from the Earth's surface, and photosynthetic organisms, like plants, would begin to die.
And he showed that gasses such as CO2 absorb heat, thus acting like a blanket warming Earth's surface.
Its miraculous silver skin will inhale the sun's light... ...and breathe it gently upon the Earth's surface.
Area of the Earth's surface where the elevation model is unknown because of missing input data.
Delimitation of an area of the Earth's surface where an isolated part of the elevation model exists.

Alternatives:

the surface of the Earth
the surface of our planet
the planetary surface
the terrestrial surface
the global surface

Earth surface

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when describing the surface of the Earth without indicating possession.

Use "earth surface" when you want to describe the surface of the Earth in a general sense, such as in the sentence: "The study of earth surface processes is important for understanding environmental changes."