The earth's biosphere : evolution, dynamics, and change /

A comprehensive overview of Earth's biosphere, written with scientific rigor and essay-like flair. In his latest book, Vaclav Smil tells the story of the Earth's biosphere from its origins to its near and long-term future. He explains the workings of its parts and what is known about their...

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Bibliographic Details
Call Number:Libro Electrónico
Main Author: Smil, Vaclav
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:Inglés
Published: Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, ©2002.
Subjects:
Biosphere.
Biosphère.
SCIENCE > Environmental Science (see also Chemistry > Environmental)
NATURE > Ecosystems & Habitats > Wilderness.
NATURE > Ecology.
SCIENCE > Life Sciences > Ecology.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES/General
ENVIRONMENT/General
Online Access:Texto completo
Table of Contents:
  • 1. Evolution of the idea : from Vernadsky to a science of the global environment
  • 2. Life in the universe : attributes, constraints, and probabilities
  • 3. Life's diversity and resilience : metabolisms, species, catastrophes
  • 4. Energizing the biosphere : solar radiation and the Earth's heat
  • 5. Water and material flows : biospheric cycles
  • 6. The biosphere's extent : the moveable boundaries
  • 7. The biosphere's mass and productivity : quantifying life's presence and performance
  • 8. The biosphere's dynamics and organization : fundamental rules and grand patterns
  • 9. Civilization and the biosphere : the Earth transformed by human action
  • 10. Epilogue.

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