Editing Biosphere (section)

== Origin and use of the term ==
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[[File:90 mile beach.jpg|thumb|A [[beach]] scene on Earth, simultaneously showing the lithosphere (ground), hydrosphere (ocean) and atmosphere (air)]]
The term "biosphere" was coined in 1875 by geologist [[Eduard Suess]], who defined it as the place on [[Earth's surface]] where [[life]] dwells.<ref>Suess, E. (1875) ''Die Entstehung Der Alpen'' [''The Origin of the Alps'']. Vienna: W. Braunmuller.</ref>

While the concept has a [[geological]] origin, it is an indication of the effect of both [[Charles Darwin]] and [[Matthew F. Maury]] on the [[Earth sciences]]. The biosphere's ecological context comes from the 1920s (see [[Vladimir I. Vernadsky]]), preceding the 1935 introduction of the term "[[ecosystem]]" by Sir [[Arthur Tansley]] (see [[Ecology (history)|ecology history]]). Vernadsky defined [[ecology]] as the science of the biosphere. It is an [[interdisciplinary]] concept for integrating [[astronomy]], [[geophysics]], [[meteorology]], [[biogeography]], [[evolution]], [[geology]], [[geochemistry]], [[hydrology]] and, generally speaking, all life and Earth sciences.

=== Narrow definition ===
Geochemists define the biosphere as being the total sum of living organisms (the "[[biomass (ecology)|biomass]]" or "[[Biota (ecology)|biota]]" as referred to by biologists and ecologists). In this sense, the biosphere is but one of four separate components of the geochemical model, the other three being ''[[geosphere]]'', ''[[hydrosphere]]'', and ''[[Earth's atmosphere|atmosphere]]''. When these four component spheres are combined into one system, it is known as the [[Ecosphere (planetary)|ecosphere]]. This term was coined during the 1960s and encompasses both biological and physical components of the planet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Möller|first=Detlev|date=December 2010|title=Chemistry of the Climate System|url=https://archive.org/details/chemistryclimate00mlle|url-access=limited|publisher=De Gruyter|pages=[https://archive.org/details/chemistryclimate00mlle/page/n136 118]–119|isbn=978-3-11-022835-9}}</ref>

The Second International Conference on Closed Life Systems defined ''biospherics'' as the science and technology of analogs and [[model (abstract)|models]] of Earth's biosphere; i.e., artificial Earth-like biospheres.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bebarta|first=Kailash Chandra|date=2011|title=Dictionary of Forestry and Wildlife Science|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|location=New Delhi|page=45|isbn=978-81-8069-719-7}}</ref> Others may include the creation of artificial non-Earth biospheres—for example, human-centered biospheres or a native [[Mars|Martian]] biosphere—as part of the topic of biospherics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nelson |first1=M. |last2=Pechurkin |first2=N. S. |last3=Allen |first3=J. P. |last4=Somova |first4=L. A. |last5=Gitelson |first5=J. I. |title=Closed Ecological Systems, Space Life Support and Biospherics |journal=Handbook of Environmental Engineering |date=2009 |volume=10 |pages=517–565 |doi=10.1007/978-1-60327-140-0_11 |isbn=978-1-58829-166-0 |url=https://oldsite.ecotechnics.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Handbook-Envt-Engineering-Closed-system-chapter.pdf}}</ref>