The document summarizes the key spheres that make up Earth's biosphere - the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and anthrosphere. It then discusses Biosphere 2, an artificial closed ecosystem experiment in Arizona meant to study interactions within a biosphere. The experiment identified issues like too much CO2 and not enough O2 or food production. It also summarizes the major biogeochemical cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus that are vital to life on Earth.

1. The Earth’s Spheres

3. Biosphere
• The term biosphere is used to describe
the entire interconnected ecosystem of
Earth.
• Includes any and all:
– air, land, surface rocks, and water where life
occurs
• Nearly every part of the planet, from the
polar ice caps to the equator, supports life
of some kind.
– Scientists are always finding life in new places

4. • The biosphere is the global ecological
system integrating all living beings and
their relationships, including their
interaction with the elements of the
geosphere, hydrosphere, and
atmosphere.
• Humans = anthroposphere

5. Geosphere
• The lithosphere is the solid outermost
shell of a rocky planet. (outermost portion
of the geosphere)
• On the Earth, the lithosphere includes the
crust and the uppermost mantle.

6. • The lithosphere is fragmented into tectonic
plates which move independently relative
to one another.
• This movement of lithospheric plates is
described as plate tectonics.
• Movement of the lithospheric plated is
related to the history and distribution of life
on Earth.

8. Hydrosphere
• A hydrosphere in physical geography
describes the collective mass of water
found on, under, and over the surface of a
planet.

9. • The Earth's hydrosphere consists of water
in all forms:
– the ocean (which is the bulk of the
hydrosphere),
– other surface waters including inland seas,
lakes, and rivers;
– rain;
– underground water;
– ice (as in glaciers and snow);
– and atmospheric water vapor (as in clouds).
• Cryosphere = all frozen water on Earth

10. Atmosphere
• The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of
gases surrounding the planet Earth and
retained by the Earth's gravity.

11. • There is no definite boundary between the
atmosphere and outer space.
• It slowly becomes thinner and fades into
space. Three quarters of the atmosphere's
mass is within 11 km of the planetary
surface.

13. Anthroposphere (Anthrosphere)
• The part of the environment that is made
or modified by humans for use in human
activities
• aka. Technosphere

14. Closed Ecosystem Research
• Biosphere 1 = the planet Earth
• Biosphere 2 = A laboratory in Arizona
• Other experiments:
– Biosphere 3
– Biosphere J = An experiment in Japan

15. Biosphere 2
• Biosphere 2 is a 3.15-acre structure
originally built to be an artificial closed
ecological system in Arizona
• It was used to explore the complex web of
interactions within life systems.
• It also explored the possible use of closed
biospheres in space colonization,
• It allowed the study and manipulation of a
biosphere without harming Earth's.

16. • At a size comparable to two and a half
football fields, it was the largest closed
system ever created.
• The sealed nature of the structure allowed
scientists to monitor the ever-changing
chemistry of the air, water and soil
contained within.
• The health of the human crew was
continuously monitored by a medical
team.

17. • Inside was a
– rainforest,
– ocean with a coral
reef,
– mangrove wetlands,
– savannah grassland,
– agricultural system,
– a human habitat

18. Problems Identified
• Too much CO2
• Not enough O2
• Not enough food production

19. The Biogeochemical Cycles

20. © 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers
Idealized diagram of
the geologic cycle,
which includes the
tectonic,
hydrologic, rock
and biogeochemical
cycles.

21. D. T. Krohne, General Ecology

22. Four Biogeochemical
Cycles:
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle

23. Water Cycle

24. Carbon Cycle

25. Nitrogen Cycle

26. © 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers
Fig 4.20 The global phosphorus cycle.