Biosphere（10-14min）

🟠warmer

have you guys ever seen this picture before？

Do you know what the different colors means?

the bule is ocean，the dark green is forest，the brown and yellow are deserts，the
white is polar cap，
And the all of them belongs to the Biosphere

Biological system hierarchy: biosphere > ecosystem > community > population >
individual

🟡introduce the topic

The earth has many different layers，such as atmosphere,hydrosphere,lithosphere,
anthrosohere…
But today，I am going to talk about the Global Biosphere. The subject of today’s
talk 按

some geologists state that biosphere is ecosystem，while others believe that

biosphere is the sum of life
Today，we are going to know more about Biosphere

1⃣️What does Biosphere means？

（original use➕2 definitions➕range）



🔹Origin and use of Biosphere

biosphere was originally a geological term

The word "biosphere" was coined by a geologist named Eduard Suess in 1875,
and defined it as " The sum of life on the earth‘s surface"

🔹generalized definition➕narrow definition

And now there’re two ways to define the biosphere

Generalized definition

By the most general biological definition

The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system that includes multiple
ecosystems

Which means biosphere is not only integrating all lives and their relationships but
also including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, cryosphere,
hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Thus,We can even take the whole earth as biosphere

However,even though the human brain and the greenhouse are both closed and self-
regulating, they cannot be defined as biosphere

Narrow definition

For the narrow definition

Geochemists defined the biosphere as being the total sum of living organisms

In this sense, the biosphere is just one of four separate components of the earth
model, the other three are lithosphere,hydrosphere and atmosphere When these four
component spheres are combined into one system, it is known as the ecosphere.

The biosphere is generally considered to cover the bottom of the atmosphere, the
entire hydrosphere and the upper lithosphere

🔶🔶biosphere 2

Biosphere 2 is a giant closed facility for testing which was built by an American
businessman between 1987 and 1991.

This project converted a 2500-acre ranch into a glasshouse at the foothills of the
Santa Catalina mountains north of Tucson, Arizona.

"Biosphere 2" was originally designed to demonstrate the feasibility of closed

ecosystems to support and sustain human life in outer space.

And nowadays this project is used to explore topics such as future Mars
colonization, how to build shelters after a nuclear war, and how the entire earth's
ecosystem will change.

（It was used to test whether and how humans can live and work in a closed
biosphere, and also explored the possibility of closed ecosystems in future space
colonization. ）

the first batch of scientists settled in biosphere 2 on September 1991.They began

to grow crops to feed themselves，recycling water and air to achieve self-
sufficient.
After the ecosystem began to work.
More than 4,000 species of plants began to grow，Releasing more and more toxic
gases.
In the end water and crops were no longer self-sufficient until 1994.

2⃣️How does Biosphere works？

Organisms and micro-organisms regulate the ecosystem by “inhaling and exhaling”

2 most important cycles

example：

The process to water cycle：
Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and
precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow.

in water cycle：They regulate ocean chemistry by taking carbon out of the

atmosphere
Organism play a part in the water cycle by pulling water from the soil and air, and
then put it back by exhaling water vapour and aerating the soil，so rain can soak
into the ground


The carbon cycle describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel
from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere. Since our
planet and its atmosphere form a closed environment, the amount of carbon in this
system does not change.

in carbon cycle: Life is an integral part of Earth system.

Living things influence the composition of atmosphere by inhaling air and exhaling
carbon dioxide

Photosynthesis and respiration

Vegetation and global ocean chlorophyll


Forests do play a major role in the whole self-regulating of the biosphere.
Plants release water vapour from their leaves into the atmosphere at daylight that
called Photosynthesis
and then take in oxygen and Convert organic compounds into carbon dioxide and water
releases energy that called respiration

Chlorophyll is produced by the action of light on the plants’ leaves.



vegetation index value：chlorophyll

measure of chlorophyll and vegetation：

satellite（but influenced by weather changes，but they provide insight into the

carbon cycle）

1⃣️different latitude：high latitude，mid- latitude，low latitude
2⃣️different places：ocean，glacier/polar，rainforest- temperature：cold/warm-bring
nutrients
3⃣️different seasons
chlorophyll：distribution for the earth‘s ocean surface average/annual=represent
the density of plant growth
🔹🔸reference:MODIS 中等分辨率成像光谱仪
high chlorophyll：phytoplankton
example：rainforest around the equator（abundant sunlight and rainfall）

average productivity of the biosphere：small variations➕interannual changes

Ocean productivity (as illustrated by the distribution of chlorophyll) depends on

ocean temperatures and the availability of nutrients

Ocean chlorophyll concentrations can change when ocean currents shift or the
temperature changes.

Plants require four things to grow: nutrients, light, water, and moderate
temperatures. When any one of these things changes, plant growth will change too.
example：The Australian Outback, the African Sahel, and the Steppes of Central Asia

3⃣️The challenges we‘re facing now.

4⃣️The ways to solve problems.

🔵Body slide
1⃣️Origin and use of Biosphere

The word "biosphere" was coined by geologist Eduard Suess in 1875, which he defined
as the place on Earth's surface where life dwells.

2⃣️generalized definition➕narrow definition

GD
By the most general biophysiological definition, the biosphere is the global
ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including
their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere,
and atmosphere.

The biosphere is postulated to have evolved, beginning with a process of biopoiesis

(life created naturally from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds)
or biogenesis (life created from living matter), at least some 3.5 billion years
ago.

3⃣️range
2 pictures
example：
For generalized
1⃣️1990 Biosphere program
2⃣️artificial biosphere-（The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating
system，create another biosphere- 1⃣️human organs：blood circulation…2⃣️domestic
circulation/economy
3⃣️ Extraterrestrial biospheres（the wide and thick of biosphere can be defined by
the temperature rather than absolute depth）the earth maybe not the only one planet
with lives.
4⃣️how living things influence the ecosystem

For narrow
One of the earth➕two organisms（o：plants and animals➕micro：bacteria）
ecosystems:biosphere,lithosphere,atmosphere,hydrosphere

The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists. The biosphere
extends from the deepest root systems of trees, to the dark environment of ocean
trenches, to lush rainforests and high mountaintops. Scientists describe Earth in
terms of spheres. The solid surface layer of Earth is the lithosphere.

🔵Challenges/Crisis
-mankind rebuild the ecosystem-destroy the Ecosystem/ecosphere
1⃣️global warming（greenhouse gas emissions）
2⃣️deforestation（Amazon decline…）
3⃣️air pollution（manufacturing…）
4⃣️littering（hard to degrade：plastic，heavy metals…other toxins/contaminations）

🟣the way to solve problems

-sustainability (use renewable sources：solar power
🔶🔶🔶Organization：mitigation



1⃣️reduce the carbon dioxide emissions (inhaling and exhaling )-for cars

Car emissions
Electric cars/public transportation/biofuels (to replace gasoline)
2⃣️plant more trees
3⃣️renewable energy/try to use…to replace fossil fuels
4⃣️researchers for new technologies
5⃣️legislations about recycling and littering
6⃣️corporations among countries and organizations

🟢The conclusion（summarize）
Biosphere is the sum of life

🔶🔶🔶list of pictures/references

🟤 1 discussion：meaningful

⚫ ️Ask for feedback

Any question for me？