A false-color composite of global oceanic and terrestrial photoautotroph abundance, from September 1997 to August 2000. Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and ORBIMAGE.^{[citation needed]}

The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed (apart from solar and cosmic radiation) and self-regulating system.^[1] From the broadest biophysiological point of view, the biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. The biosphere is postulated to have evolved, beginning through a process of biogenesis or biopoesis, at least some 3.5 billion years ago.^[2]

In a broader sense; biospheres are any closed, self-regulating systems containing ecosystems; including artificial ones such as Biosphere 2 and BIOS-3; and, potentially, ones on other planets or moons.^[3]

Origin and use of the term[link]

The term "biosphere" was coined by geologist Eduard Suess in 1875, which he defined as:^[4]

"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 Darwin and Maury, [Nicholas Morken 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.

Narrow definition[link]

A familiar scene on Earth which simultaneously shows the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

Some life scientists and earth scientists use biosphere in a more limited sense. For example, geochemists define the biosphere as being the total sum of living organisms (the "biomass" or "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 lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. The narrow meaning used by geochemists is one of the consequences of specialization in modern science. Some might prefer the word ecosphere, coined in the 1960s, as all encompassing of both biological and physical components of the planet.

The Second International Conference on Closed Life Systems defined biospherics as the science and technology of analogs and models of Earth's biosphere; i.e., artificial Earth-like biospheres. Others may include the creation of artificial non-Earth biospheres—for example, human-centered biospheres or a native Martian biosphere—in the field of biospherics.

Gaia hypothesis[link]

In the early 1970s, Lynn Margulis, a microbiologist from the United States, added to the hypothesis, specifically noting the ties between the biosphere and other Earth systems. For example, when carbon dioxide levels increase in the atmosphere, plants grow more quickly. As their growth continues, they remove more and more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Many scientists are now involved in new fields of study that examine interactions between biotic and abiotic factors in the biosphere, such as geobiology and geomicrobiology.

Ecosystems occur when communities and their physical environment work together as a system. The difference between this and a biosphere is simple, the biosphere is everything in general terms.

Extent of Earth's biosphere[link]

Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. Image is the Earth photographed from Apollo 17.

Every part of the planet, from the polar ice caps to the Equator, supports life of some kind. Recent advances in microbiology have demonstrated that microbes live deep beneath the Earth's terrestrial surface, and that the total mass of microbial life in so-called "uninhabitable zones" may, in biomass, exceed all animal and plant life on the surface. The actual thickness of the biosphere on earth is difficult to measure. Birds typically fly at altitudes of 650 to 1,800 metres, and fish that live deep underwater can be found down to -8,372 metres in the Puerto Rico Trench.^[2]

There are more extreme examples for life on the planet: Rüppell's vulture has been found at altitudes of 11,300 metres; bar-headed geese migrate at altitudes of at least 8,300 metres; yaks live at elevations between 3,200 to 5,400 metres above sea level; mountain goats live up to 3,050 metres. Herbivorous animals at these elevations depend on lichens, grasses, and herbs.

Microscopic organisms live at such extremes that, taking them into consideration, makes the thickness of the biosphere much greater. Culturable microbes have been found in the Earth's upper atmosphere as high as 41 km (25 mi) (Wainwright et al., 2003, in FEMS Microbiology Letters). It is unlikely, however, that microbes are active at such altitudes, where temperatures and air pressure are extremely low and ultraviolet radiation very high. More likely, these microbes were brought into the upper atmosphere by winds or possibly volcanic eruptions. Barophilic marine microbes have been found at more than 10 km (6 mi) depth in the Marianas Trench (Takamia et al., 1997, in FEMS Microbiology Letters). Microbes are not limited to the air, water or the Earth's surface. Culturable thermophilic microbes have been extracted from cores drilled more than 5 km (3 mi) into the Earth's crust in Sweden (Gold, 1992, and Szewzyk, 1994, both in PNAS), from rocks between 65-75 °C. Temperature increases with increasing depth into the Earth's crust. The speed at which the temperature increases depends on many factors, including type of crust (continental vs. oceanic), rock type, geographic location, etc. The upper known limit of temperature at which microbial life can exist is 122 °C (Methanopyrus kandleri Strain 116), and it is likely that the limit of life in the "deep biosphere" is defined by temperature rather than absolute depth.

Our biosphere is divided into a number of biomes, inhabited by broadly similar flora and fauna. On land, biomes are separated primarily by latitude. Terrestrial biomes lying within the Arctic and Antarctic Circles are relatively barren of plant and animal life, while most of the more populous biomes lie near the equator. Terrestrial organisms in temperate and Arctic biomes have relatively small amounts of total biomass, smaller energy budgets, and display prominent adaptations to cold, including world-spanning migrations, social adaptations, homeothermy, estivation and multiple layers of insulation.

Specific biospheres[link]

When the word is followed by a number, it is usually referring to a specific system or number. Thus:

• Biosphere 1, the planet Earth
• Biosphere 2, a laboratory in Arizona which contains 3.15 acres (13,000 m²) of closed ecosystem.
• BIOS-3, a closed ecosystem at the Institute of Biophysics in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, in what was then the Soviet Union.
• Biosphere J (CEEF, Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities), an experiment in Japan.^[5][6]

Nilgiri is the one of the favour biosphere in India.

See also[link]

	Environment portal
	Ecology portal
	Earth sciences portal
	Sustainable development portal

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up biosphere in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Article on the Biosphere at Encyclopedia of Earth
• GLOBIO.info, an ongoing programme to map the past, current and future impacts of human activities on the biosphere
• Paul Crutzen Interview Freeview video of Paul Crutzen Nobel Laureate for his work on decomposition of ozone talking to Harry Kroto Nobel Laureate by the Vega Science Trust.
• Atlas of the Biosphere

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2009)

Jane Poynter is an author, businesswoman and environmentalist. Poynter was one of the original crewmembers of Biosphere 2.^[1] Along with seven other individuals, Poynter was confined to the sealed environment for two years.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jane Poynter Official website
• Biosphere 2 website
• Inc. Magazine slideshow

Pete Namlook (born 1960 as Peter Kuhlmann [ˈkuːlmaːn] in Frankfurt, Germany) is an ambient and electronic-music producer and composer. In 1992, he founded the German record label FAX +49-69/450464, which he oversees. Inspired by the music of Eberhard Weber, Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chopin, Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd, he also composes his own albums.

Overview[link]

As of August 2005, Namlook and company had released 135 albums (excluding re-releases, vinyl singles, compilations of existing material, and FAX releases beginning with PS, in which he personally is not involved in the music making).

Pete Namlook has released many solo albums, as well as collaboration albums with notable artists such as Klaus Schulze, Bill Laswell, Geir Jenssen (alias Biosphere), Atom Heart, Richie Hawtin, Tetsu Inoue, Dr. Atmo, and Tying Tiffany.

“Namlook” is “Koolman” spelled backwards, which is the German pronunciation of his real name.

Projects[link]

These are all of Namlook's project series on the FAX label, with the number of albums in each series. For one-shot albums, the title is given without a number after it.

(Note: These are only the CD releases. Vinyl singles and EPs are not included. There are no full length LPs on FAX.)

Solo

• 4Voice (3 releases; 4Voice with Maik Maurice as "arrangement assistant" on two tracks; 4Voice III with Marc Romboy on one track)
• Air (5 releases)
• Atom
• Electronic Music Center
• Music for Ballet
• Namlook (25 releases)
• Season's Greetings (4 releases; 1 compilation titled The Four Seasons)
• Silence (3 releases of 5 total; first two are with Dr. Atmo)
• Syn (2 releases)
• Music for Babies

with Dr. Atmo

• Escape
• Silence (2 releases of 5 total; latter three are Namlook solo)

with Atom Heart

• Jet Chamber (5 releases)

with Karl Berger

• Polytime

with Dandy Jack

• Amp (2 releases)
• Silent Music

with DJ Brainwave

• Limelight

with DJ Criss

• Deltraxx
• Sequential (one track is Namlook with Tetsu Inoue, not DJ Criss)

with DJ Dag

• Adlernebel

with Pascal F.E.O.S.

• Hearts of Space
• Minimalistic Source

with Gaudi

• Re:sonate

with Rob Gordon

• Ozoona

with Robert Görl

• Elektro (2 releases)

with Richie Hawtin

• From Within (3 releases)

with Hubertus Held

• Pete Namlook/Hubertus Held

with Higher Intelligence Agency

• S.H.A.D.O (2 releases)

with Tetsu Inoue

• 62 Eulengasse
• 2350 Broadway (4 releases)
• Sequential (only one track)
• Shades of Orion (3 releases)
• Time²

with Geir Jenssen

• The Fires of Ork (2 releases)

with Bill Laswell

• The Dark Side of the Moog (4 releases of 11 total also with Klaus Schulze; other seven are only Namlook and Schulze)
• Outland (5 releases)
• Psychonavigation (5 releases)
• Outer Dark

with Mixmaster Morris

• Dreamfish (2 releases)

with David Moufang

• Koolfang (3 releases)
• Move D / Namlook (23 releases)

with New Composers

• Planetarium (2 releases)
• Russian Spring

with Burhan Öçal

• Sultan (3 releases)

with Jochem Paap

• pp-nmlk

with Peter Prochir

• Miles Apart
• Possible Gardens

with Ludwig Rehberg

• The Putney (2 releases)

with Robert Sattler

• Kooler

with Klaus Schulze

• The Dark Side of the Moog (11 releases)

with Jonah Sharp

• Alien Community (2 releases)
• Wechselspannung (2 releases)

with Wolfram Spyra

• Virtual Vices (6 releases)

with Steve Stoll

• Hemisphere

with Charles Uzzell-Edwards

• A New Consciousness (2 releases)
• Create (2 releases)

with Lorenzo Montanà

• Labirynth (3 releases)

Yesterday & Tomorrow[link]

This was a short-lived sub-label of FAX that was created to showcase a more classical side of ambient music. On these releases he goes by Peter Kuhlmann, his real name, rather than Pete Namlook.

• Passion, with Jürgen Rehberg
• Wandering Soul, with Alban Gerhardt
• The Sunken Road, with Jürgen Rehberg and Lucia Mense

External links[link]

General

• Namlook.de - Official Pete Namlook Web site
• Peter Namlook on Myspace
• Pete Namlook photographies at Discogs (1) - Discogs (3) - Analogue-Alien (center)

Discographies

• Pete Namlook at AMG
• Pete Namlook discography at Discogs
• Pete Namlook discography at MusicBrainz
• Discography of his FAX recordings

Misc

• Samples and quotes in FAX albums (including many Namlook) at FAX Galleria
• Fax Label review site