photosynthesis, respiration, carbonate formation) transformed the reducing ancient atmosphere into the oxidizing (free oxygen) environment of today. For example, the chemical processes of early life on earth (e.g. Such exchanges depend upon, and can be altered by, the environments of the regions. Energy, water, gases and nutrients are exchanged between the regions on various spatial and time scales. The bulk of living organisms actually live within a smaller fraction of the biosphere, from about 500 meters below the ocean's surface to about 6 kilometers above sea level.ĭynamic interactions occur between the biotic region (biosphere) and the abiotic regions (atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere) of the earth. Nonetheless, the biosphere is a very tiny region on the scale of the whole earth, analogous to the thickness of the skin on an apple. Scientists now know that some forms of microbes live at great depths, sometimes several thousand meters into the earth's crust. Traditionally, the biosphere is considered to extend from the bottom of the oceans to the highest mountaintops, a layer with an average thickness of about 20 kilometers. It also includes the hydrosphere, the region of lakes, oceans, streams, ice and clouds comprising the earth's water resources. The biosphere includes the outer region of the earth (the lithosphere) and the lower region of the atmosphere (the troposphere). Another term sometimes used is ecosphere ("eco" meaning home). "Bio" means life, and the term biosphere was first coined by a Russian scientist (Vladimir Vernadsky) in the 1920s. It is a feature that distinguishes the earth from the other planets in the solar system. The biosphere is the region of the earth that encompasses all living organisms: plants, animals and bacteria.
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