Biosphere - Origin and Use of The Term

Origin and Use of The Term

The term "biosphere" was coined by geologist Eduard Suess in 1875, which he defined as:

"The place on Earth's surface where life dwells."

While this concept has a geological origin, it is an indication of the impact 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). 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.

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