The Earth's Biosphere

Evolution, Dynamics, and Change

Vaclav Smil (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba)

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English

Massachusetts Inst of Tec
11 August 2003

Mathematics & Sciences; Applied ecology

Series: The MIT Press

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 interactions. With essay-like flair, he examines the biosphere's physics, chemistry, biology, geology, oceanography, energy, climatology, and ecology, as well as the changes caused by human activity. He provides both the basics of the story and surprising asides illustrating critical but often neglected aspects of biospheric complexity.

Smil begins with a history of the modern idea of the biosphere, focusing on the development of the concept by Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky. He explores the probability of life elsewhere in the universe, life's evolution and metabolism, and the biosphere's extent, mass, productivity, and grand-scale organization. Smil offers fresh approaches to such well-known phenomena as solar radiation and plate tectonics and introduces lesser-known topics such as the quarter-power scaling of animal and plant metabolism across body sizes and metabolic pathways. He also examines two sets of fundamental relationships that have profoundly influenced the evolution of life and the persistence of the biosphere- symbiosis and the role of life's complexity as a determinant of biomass productivity and resilience. And he voices concern about the future course of human-caused global environmental change, which could compromise the biosphere's integrity and threaten the survival of modern civilization.

By: Vaclav Smil (Distinguished Professor Emeritus University of Manitoba)
Imprint: Massachusetts Inst of Tec
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 203mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9780262692984
ISBN 10: 0262692988
Series: The MIT Press
Pages: 356
Publication Date: 11 August 2003
Recommended Age: From 18
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Vaclav Smil was Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba until 2011. He is the author of many books, including, most recently, P rime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines (MIT Press, 2010). In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.

Reviews for The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change

A lovely book, in both content and execution. Science Books & Films A superior, comprehensive survey. Booklist The breadth of discussion is remarkable... The Earth's Biosphere is unconventional. Annals of the Association of American Geographers ... written by an author who does not allow facts to be obscured or overshadowed by politics. The New York Review of Books