EARTH¦S BIOSPHERE - EVOLUTION, DYNAMICS AND CHANGE

In his latest book, Vaclav Smil tells the story of the Earths 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 biospheres 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, lifes evolution and metabolism, and the biospheres extent, mass, productivity, and grand-scale organization.