The geographic envelope is an integral, continuous near-surface part of the Earth, within which there is intense interaction between four components: the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and the biosphere (living matter). This is the most complex and diverse material system of our planet, which includes the entire hydrosphere, the lower layer of the atmosphere (troposphere), the upper part of the lithosphere and the living organisms inhabiting them. Spatial structure geographic envelope three-dimensional and spherical. This is a zone of active interaction of natural components, in which the greatest manifestation of physical and geographical processes and phenomena is observed.Boundaries of the geographical envelope fuzzy. Up and down from the earth's surface, the interaction of the components gradually weakens and then completely disappears. Therefore, scientists draw the boundaries of the geographical envelope in different ways. The upper limit is often taken to be the ozone layer, located at an altitude of 25 km, where most of the ultraviolet rays, which have a detrimental effect on living organisms, are retained. However, some researchers carry it out along the upper boundary of the troposphere, which interacts most actively with the earth's surface. The lower boundary on land is usually taken to be the base of the weathering crust up to 1 km thick, and in the ocean - the ocean floor.The concept of the geographical envelope as a special natural formation was formulated at the beginning of the 20th century. A.A. Grigoriev and S.V. Kalesnik. They revealed the main features of the geographical shell: 1) the complexity of the composition and diversity of the state of matter; 2) the occurrence of all physical and geographical processes due to solar (cosmic) and internal (telluric) energy; 3) transformation and partial conservation of all types of energy entering it; 4) the concentration of life and the presence of human society; 5) the presence of a substance in three states of aggregation.The geographical envelope consists of structural parts - components. These are rocks, water, air, plants, animals and soils. They differ in physical state (solid, liquid, gaseous), level of organization (non-living, living, bio-inert), chemical composition, activity (inert - rocks, soil, mobile - water, air, active - living matter).The geographic shell has a vertical structure consisting of individual spheres. The lower tier is composed of dense material of the lithosphere, and the upper ones are represented by lighter material of the hydrosphere and atmosphere. This structure is the result of differentiation of matter with the release of dense matter in the center of the Earth, and lighter matter along the periphery. The vertical differentiation of the geographical shell served as the basis for F.N. Milkov to identify the landscape sphere within it - a thin layer (up to 300 m), where contact and active interaction of the earth’s crust, atmosphere and hydrosphere occurs.The geographical envelope in the horizontal direction is divided into separate natural complexes, which is determined by the uneven distribution of heat in different parts of the earth's surface and its heterogeneity. I call natural complexes formed on land territorial, and in the ocean or other body of water - aquatic. The geographic envelope is a natural complex of the highest planetary rank. On land, it includes smaller natural complexes: continents and oceans, natural areas and such natural formations as the East European Plain, the Sahara Desert, the Amazon Lowland, etc. The smallest natural-territorial complex, in the structure of which all the main components participate, is considered a physical-geographical region. It is a block of the earth's crust connected with all other components of the complex, that is, with water, air, vegetation and wildlife. This block must be sufficiently isolated from neighboring blocks and have its own morphological structure, that is, include parts of the landscape, which are facies, tracts and localities.

They penetrate each other and are in close interaction. There is a continuous exchange of matter and energy between them.

The upper boundary of the geographic envelope is drawn along the stratopause, since before this boundary the thermal effect of the earth's surface on atmospheric processes is felt; the boundary of the geographic shell in the lithosphere is often combined with the lower limit of the hypergenesis region (sometimes the base of the stratisphere, the average depth of seismic or volcanic sources, the base of the earth's crust, and the level of zero annual temperature amplitudes are taken as the lower boundary of the geographic shell). The geographic envelope completely covers the hydrosphere, descending in the ocean 10-11 km below sea level, the upper zone of the earth's crust and the lower part of the atmosphere (25-30 km thick layer). The greatest thickness of the geographical shell is close to 40 km. The geographical envelope is the object of study of geography and its branch sciences.

Terminology

Despite criticism of the term “geographical envelope” and the difficulties in defining it, it is actively used in geography and is one of the main concepts in Russian geography.

The idea of ​​the geographical shell as the “outer sphere of the earth” was introduced by the Russian meteorologist and geographer P. I. Brounov (). The modern concept was developed and introduced into the system of geographical sciences by A. A. Grigoriev (). The most successful history of the concept and controversial issues discussed in the works of I. M. Zabelin.

Concepts similar to the concept of the geographical envelope exist in foreign geographical literature (earth's shell A. Getner and R. Hartshorn, geosphere G. Karol, etc.). However, there the geographical envelope is usually considered not as a natural system, but as a set of natural and social phenomena.

There are other earthly shells at the boundaries of the connection of different geospheres.

Components of the geographic envelope

Earth's crust

The earth's crust is the upper part of solid earth. It is separated from the mantle by a boundary with a sharp increase in seismic wave velocities - the Mohorovicic boundary. The thickness of the crust ranges from 6 km under the ocean to 30-50 km on the continents. There are two types of crust - continental and oceanic. In the structure of the continental crust, three geological layers are distinguished: sedimentary cover, granite and basalt. The oceanic crust is composed predominantly of basic rocks, plus sedimentary cover. The earth's crust is divided into lithospheric plates of different sizes, moving relative to each other. The kinematics of these movements is described by plate tectonics.

Troposphere

Its upper limit is at an altitude of 8-10 km in polar, 10-12 km in temperate and 16-18 km in tropical latitudes; lower in winter than in summer. The lower, main layer of the atmosphere. Contains more than 80% of the total mass of atmospheric air and about 90% of all water vapor present in the atmosphere. Turbulence and convection are highly developed in the troposphere, clouds appear, and cyclones and anticyclones develop. Temperature decreases with increasing altitude with an average vertical gradient of 0.65°/100 m

The following are accepted as “normal conditions” at the Earth’s surface: density 1.2 kg/m3, barometric pressure 101.34 kPa, temperature plus 20 °C and relative humidity 50%. These conditional indicators have purely engineering significance.

Stratosphere

The upper limit is at an altitude of 50-55 km. The temperature increases with increasing altitude to a level of about 0 °C. Low turbulence, negligible water vapor content, increased ozone content compared to the lower and overlying layers (maximum ozone concentration at altitudes of 20-25 km).

Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere is the totality of all the Earth's water reserves. Most of the water is concentrated in the ocean, much less in the continental river network and groundwater. There are also large reserves of water in the atmosphere, in the form of clouds and water vapor.

Some of the water is in a solid state in the form of glaciers, snow cover, and permafrost, making up the cryosphere.

Biosphere

The biosphere is a collection of parts of the earth's shells (litho-, hydro- and atmosphere), which is populated by living organisms, is under their influence and is occupied by the products of their vital activity.

Anthroposphere (Noosphere)

The anthroposphere or noosphere is the sphere of interaction between man and nature. Not recognized by all scientists.

Notes

Literature

• Brounov P.I. Course of physical geography, St. Petersburg, 1917.
• Grigoriev A. A. Experience analytical characteristics composition and structure of the physical-geographical shell globe, L.-M., 1937.
• Grigoriev A. A. Patterns of the structure and development of the geographical environment, M., 1966.

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• Ershov
• Vydubitsky Monastery

See what “Geographical envelope” is in other dictionaries:

GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT Modern encyclopedia

Geographical envelope- Earth (landscape shell), the sphere of interpenetration and interaction of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It has a complex spatial structure. The vertical thickness of the geographic shell is tens of kilometers. Natural processes in... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

geographic envelope- A complex natural complex in which the upper part of the lithosphere, the entire hydrosphere, the lower layers of the atmosphere and all living matter on Earth (biosphere) touch, mutually penetrate and interact, serves as the main object of study of physical... ... Dictionary of Geography

geographic envelope- Earth (landscape shell), the sphere of interpenetration and interaction of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Has complex spatial differentiation. The vertical thickness of the geographic shell is tens of kilometers. Integrity... encyclopedic Dictionary

geographic envelope- the shell of the Earth, including the earth's crust, hydrosphere, lower atmosphere, soil cover and the entire biosphere. The term was introduced by academician A. A. Grigoriev. The upper boundary of the geographic envelope is located in the atmosphere at a height. 20–25 km below... ... Geographical encyclopedia

Geographical envelope- landscape shell, epigeosphere, shell of the Earth in which the lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere touch and interact. It is characterized by a complex composition and structure. The upper limit of the G. region. it is advisable to carry out... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT- (landscape shell), the shell of the Earth, covering the lower. layers of the atmosphere, surface layers of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Naib. thickness approx. 40 km. Integrity of G. o. determined by continuous energy and mass exchange between land and atmosphere... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE EARTH- (landscape shell) the sphere of interpenetration and interaction of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Has complex spatial differentiation. The vertical thickness of the geographic shell is tens of kilometers. Integrity... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

geographical envelope of the Earth- The landscape shell of the Earth, within which the lower layers of the atmosphere, near-surface layers of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere touch, penetrate each other and interact. Includes the entire biosphere and hydrosphere; in the lithosphere covers... ... Technical Translator's Guide

The largest natural complex of the Earth is the geographical envelope. It includes the lithosphere and atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, which interact with each other. Thanks to this, an active circulation of energy and substances occurs in nature. Each shell - gas, mineral, living and water - has its own laws of development and existence.

Basic patterns of the geographical envelope:

• geographical zoning;
• the integrity and interconnection of all parts of the shell of the globe;
• rhythmicity – repetition of daily and annual natural phenomena.

Earth's crust

The solid part of the earth, containing rocks, sediment and minerals, is one of the components of the geographical envelope. It contains more than ninety chemical elements that are unevenly distributed over the entire surface of the planet. Iron, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, oxygen, sodium, and potassium make up the majority of all rocks in the lithosphere. They are formed in different ways: under the influence of temperature and pressure, during redeposition of weathering products and the vital activity of organisms, in the thickness of the earth and during sedimentation from water. There are two types of earth's crust - oceanic and continental, which differ from each other in rock composition and temperature.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the most important component of the geographical envelope. It affects the weather and climate, the hydrosphere, the world of flora and fauna. The atmosphere is also divided into several layers, and the geographical envelope includes the troposphere and stratosphere. These layers contain oxygen, which is required for the life cycles of different spheres on the planet. In addition, the atmosphere layer protects the earth's surface from the ultraviolet rays of the Sun.

Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere is the water surface of the earth, which consists of groundwater, rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. The main part of the Earth's water resources is concentrated in the ocean, and the rest is on the continents. The hydrosphere also includes water vapor and clouds. In addition, permafrost, snow and ice cover are also part of the hydrosphere.

Biosphere and anthroposphere

The biosphere is a multi-shell of the planet, which includes the world of flora and fauna, hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere, which interact with each other. A change in one of the components of the biosphere leads to significant changes in the entire ecosystem of the planet. The geographical envelope of the earth can also include the anthroposphere - the sphere in which people and nature interact.

Geographic shell - in Russian geographical science this is understood as a complete and continuous shell of the Earth, where its components: the upper part of the lithosphere (the earth's crust), the lower part of the atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere) - as well as the anthroposphere penetrate each other and are in close interaction. There is a continuous exchange of matter and energy between them.

The upper boundary of the geographic envelope is drawn along the stratopause, since before this boundary the thermal effect of the earth's surface on atmospheric processes is felt; the boundary of the geographic envelope in the lithosphere is often combined with the lower limit of the hypergenesis region (sometimes the base of the stratisphere, the average depth of seismic or volcanic foci, the base of the earth's crust, and the level of zero annual temperature amplitudes are taken as the lower boundary of the geographic envelope). The geographic envelope completely covers the hydrosphere, descending in the ocean 10-11 km below sea level, the upper zone of the earth's crust and the lower part of the atmosphere (25-30 km thick layer). The greatest thickness of the geographical shell is close to 40 km. The geographical envelope is the object of study of geography and its branch sciences.

Despite criticism of the term “geographical envelope” and the difficulties in defining it, it is actively used in geography and is one of the main concepts in Russian geography.

The idea of ​​the geographical shell as the “outer sphere of the earth” was introduced by the Russian meteorologist and geographer P. I. Brounov (1910). The modern concept was developed and introduced into the system of geographical sciences by A. A. Grigoriev (1932). The history of the concept and controversial issues are most successfully discussed in the works of I. M. Zabelin.

Concepts similar to the concept of the geographical envelope exist in foreign geographical literature (the earth's envelope by A. Getner and R. Hartshorne, the geosphere of G. Karol, etc.). However, there the geographical envelope is usually considered not as a natural system, but as a set of natural and social phenomena.

There are other earthly shells at the boundaries of the connection of different geospheres.

2 STRUCTURE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT

Let's consider the main structural elements of the geographic shell.

The earth's crust is the upper part of solid earth. It is separated from the mantle by a boundary with a sharp increase in seismic wave velocities - the Mohorovicic boundary. The thickness of the crust ranges from 6 km under the ocean to 30-50 km on the continents. There are two types of crust - continental and oceanic. In the structure of the continental crust, three geological layers are distinguished: sedimentary cover, granite and basalt. The oceanic crust is composed predominantly of basic rocks, plus sedimentary cover. The earth's crust is divided into lithospheric plates of different sizes, moving relative to each other. The kinematics of these movements is described by plate tectonics.

Figure 1 – Structure of the borrowed crust

There is a crust on Mars and Venus, the Moon and many satellites of the giant planets. On Mercury, although it belongs to the terrestrial planets, there is no terrestrial crust. In most cases it consists of basalts. The Earth is unique in that it has two types of crust: continental and oceanic.

The mass of the earth's crust is estimated at 2.8·1019 tons (of which 21% is oceanic crust and 79% is continental). The crust makes up only 0.473% of the Earth's total mass

The oceanic crust consists mainly of basalts. According to the theory of plate tectonics, it continuously forms at mid-ocean ridges, diverges from them, and is absorbed into the mantle at subduction zones. Therefore, the oceanic crust is relatively young, and its oldest sections date back to the Late Jurassic.

The thickness of the oceanic crust remains virtually unchanged over time, since it is mainly determined by the amount of melt released from the mantle material in the mid-ocean ridge zones. To some extent, the thickness of the sediment layer on the ocean floor has an influence. In different geographical areas The thickness of the oceanic crust varies between 5-7 kilometers.

Within the framework of the stratification of the Earth by mechanical properties, the oceanic crust refers to the oceanic lithosphere. The thickness of the oceanic lithosphere, unlike the crust, depends mainly on its age. In the zones of mid-ocean ridges, the asthenosphere comes very close to the surface, and the lithospheric layer is almost completely absent. As one moves away from the zones of mid-ocean ridges, the thickness of the lithosphere first increases in proportion to its age, then the growth rate decreases. In subduction zones, the thickness of the oceanic lithosphere reaches highest values, amounting to 120-130 kilometers.

The continental crust has a three-layer structure. The upper layer is represented by a discontinuous cover of sedimentary rocks, which is widely developed, but rarely has great thickness. Most of the crust is composed of the upper crust, a layer consisting mainly of granites and gneisses, which is low in density and ancient history. Research shows that most of these rocks were formed a very long time ago, about 3 billion years ago. Below is the lower crust, consisting of metamorphic rocks - granulites and the like.

The earth's crust is made up of a relatively small number of elements. About half the mass of the earth's crust is oxygen, more than 25% is silicon. A total of 18 elements: O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, Mg, H, Ti, C, Cl, P, S, N, Mn, F, Ba - make up 99.8% of the mass of the earth’s crust.

Determining the composition of the upper continental crust was one of the first problems that the young science of geochemistry undertook to solve. Actually, geochemistry emerged from attempts to solve this problem. This task is very difficult, since the earth's crust consists of many rocks of varying composition. Even within the same geological body, the composition of rocks can vary greatly. Completely different types of breeds may be found in different areas. In light of all this, the task arose of determining the general, average composition of that part of the earth's crust that comes to the surface on the continents. On the other hand, the question immediately arose about the meaningfulness of this term.

The next attempt to determine the average composition of the earth's crust was made by Victor Goldshmidt. He made the assumption that a glacier moving along the continental crust scrapes off all the rocks that come to the surface and mixes them. As a result, rocks deposited by glacial erosion reflect the composition of the middle continental crust. Goldschmidt analyzed the composition of ribbon clays deposited in the Baltic Sea during the last glaciation. Their composition was surprisingly close to the average composition obtained by Clarke. The coincidence of estimates obtained by such different methods was a strong confirmation of geochemical methods.

Subsequently, many researchers were involved in determining the composition of the continental crust. The estimates of Vinogradov, Vedepol, Ronov and Yaroshevsky have received wide scientific recognition.

Some new attempts to determine the composition of the continental crust are based on dividing it into parts formed in different geodynamic settings.

The upper limit of the troposphere is at an altitude of 8-10 km in polar, 10-12 km in temperate and 16-18 km in tropical latitudes; lower in winter than in summer. The lower, main layer of the atmosphere. Contains more than 80% of the total mass of atmospheric air and about 90% of all water vapor present in the atmosphere. Turbulence and convection are highly developed in the troposphere, clouds arise, and cyclones and anticyclones develop. Temperature decreases with increasing altitude with an average vertical gradient of 0.65°/100 m.

The following are accepted as “normal conditions” at the Earth’s surface: density 1.2 kg/m3, barometric pressure 101.34 kPa, temperature plus 20 °C and relative humidity 50%. These conditional indicators have purely engineering significance.

Stratosphere (from Latin stratum - flooring, layer) is a layer of the atmosphere located at an altitude of 11 to 50 km. Characterized by a slight change in temperature in the 11-25 km layer (lower layer of the stratosphere) and an increase in temperature in the 25-40 km layer from −56.5 to 0.8 C (upper layer of the stratosphere or inversion region). Having reached a value of about 273 K (almost 0 °C) at an altitude of about 40 km, the temperature remains constant up to an altitude of about 55 km. This region of constant temperature is called the stratopause and is the boundary between the stratosphere and mesosphere.

It is in the stratosphere that the ozone layer (“ozone layer”) is located (at an altitude of 15-20 to 55-60 km), which determines the upper limit of life in the biosphere. Ozone (O3) is formed as a result of photochemical reactions most intensively at an altitude of ~30 km. The total mass of O3 would amount to a layer 1.7-4.0 mm thick at normal pressure, but this is enough to absorb life-destructive ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The destruction of O3 occurs when it interacts with free radicals, NO, and halogen-containing compounds (including “freons”).

In the stratosphere, most of the short-wave part of ultraviolet radiation (180-200 nm) is retained and the energy of short waves is transformed. Under the influence of these rays they change magnetic fields, molecules disintegrate, ionization occurs, new formation of gases and other chemical compounds. These processes can be observed in the form of northern lights, lightning and other glows.

In the stratosphere and higher layers, under the influence of solar radiation, gas molecules dissociate into atoms (above 80 km CO2 and H2 dissociate, above 150 km - O2, above 300 km - H2). At an altitude of 200-500 km, ionization of gases also occurs in the ionosphere; at an altitude of 320 km, the concentration of charged particles (O+2, O−2, N+2) is ~ 1/300 of the concentration of neutral particles. In the upper layers of the atmosphere there are free radicals - OH, HO 2, etc.

There is almost no water vapor in the stratosphere.

Troposphere (ancient Greek τροπή - “turn”, “change” and σφαῖρα - “ball”) - the lower, most studied layer of the atmosphere, 8-10 km high in the polar regions, up to 10-12 km in temperate latitudes, at the equator - 16-18 km.

When rising in the troposphere, the temperature decreases by an average of 0.65 K every 100 m and reaches 180 ÷ 220 K (-90 ÷ -53 ° C) in the upper part. This upper layer of the troposphere, in which the decrease in temperature with height stops, is called the tropopause. The next layer of the atmosphere, located above the troposphere, is called the stratosphere.

More than 80% of the total mass of atmospheric air is concentrated in the troposphere, turbulence and convection are highly developed, the predominant part of water vapor is concentrated, clouds arise, atmospheric fronts form, cyclones and anticyclones develop, as well as other processes that determine weather and climate. The processes occurring in the troposphere are caused primarily by convection.

The part of the troposphere within which the formation of glaciers on the earth's surface is possible is called the ionosphere.

The hydrosphere (from ancient Greek Yδωρ - water and σφαῖρα - ball) is the water shell of the Earth.

It forms an intermittent water shell. Average depth ocean is 3850 m, maximum ( Mariana Trench Pacific Ocean) - 11,022 meters. About 97% of the mass of the hydrosphere is made up of salty ocean waters, 2.2% is glacial waters, the rest is underground, lake and river waters. fresh waters. The total volume of water on the planet is about 1,532,000,000 cubic kilometers. The mass of the hydrosphere is approximately 1.46 * 10 21 kg. This is 275 times the mass of the atmosphere, but only 1/4000 of the mass of the entire planet. The hydrosphere is 94% made up of the waters of the World Ocean, in which salts are dissolved (3.5% on average), as well as a number of gases. The top layer of the ocean contains 140 trillion tons carbon dioxide, and dissolved oxygen - 8 trillion tons. The region of the biosphere in the hydrosphere is represented in its entire thickness, but the highest density of living matter occurs in the surface layers heated and illuminated by the sun's rays, as well as coastal zones.

IN general view The hydrosphere is divided into the World Ocean, continental waters and groundwater. Most of the water is concentrated in the ocean, much less in the continental river network and groundwater. There are also large reserves of water in the atmosphere, in the form of clouds and water vapor. Over 96% of the volume of the hydrosphere is made up of seas and oceans, about 2% is groundwater, about 2% is ice and snow, and about 0.02% is land surface water. Some of the water is in a solid state in the form of glaciers, snow cover and permafrost, representing the cryosphere.

Surface waters, occupying a relatively small share of the total mass of the hydrosphere, nevertheless play a vital role in the life of the terrestrial biosphere, being the main source of water supply, irrigation and water supply.

Biosphere (from ancient Greek βιος - life and σφαῖρα - sphere, ball) is the shell of the Earth populated by living organisms, under their influence and occupied by the products of their vital activity; “film of life”; global ecosystem of the Earth.

The biosphere is the shell of the Earth populated by living organisms and transformed by them. The biosphere began to form no later than 3.8 billion years ago, when the first organisms began to emerge on our planet. It penetrates the entire hydrosphere, the upper part of the lithosphere and the lower part of the atmosphere, that is, it inhabits the ecosphere. The biosphere is the totality of all living organisms. It is home to more than 3,000,000 species of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Man is also part of the biosphere, his activity surpasses many natural processes and, as V.I. Vernadsky said: “Man becomes a powerful geological force.”

French natural scientist Jean Baptiste Lamarck early XIX V. for the first time, he essentially proposed the concept of the biosphere, without even introducing the term itself. The term "biosphere" was proposed by the Austrian geologist and paleontologist Eduard Suess in 1875.

A holistic doctrine of the biosphere was created by the biogeochemist and philosopher V.I. Vernadsky. For the first time, he assigned living organisms the role of the main transformative force on planet Earth, taking into account their activities not only at the present time, but also in the past.

There is another, broader definition: Biosphere - the area of ​​distribution of life on a cosmic body. While the existence of life on space objects other than Earth is still unknown, it is believed that the biosphere can extend to them in more hidden areas, for example, in lithospheric cavities or in subglacial oceans. For example, the possibility of the existence of life in the ocean of Jupiter’s satellite Europa is being considered.

The biosphere is located at the intersection of the upper part of the lithosphere and the lower part of the atmosphere and occupies almost the entire hydrosphere.

Upper limit in the atmosphere: 15-20 km. It is determined by the ozone layer, which blocks short-wave ultraviolet radiation, which is harmful to living organisms.

Lower limit in the lithosphere: 3.5-7.5 km. It is determined by the temperature of transition of water into steam and the temperature of denaturation of proteins, but generally the distribution of living organisms is limited to a depth of several meters.

Boundary between the atmosphere and lithosphere in the hydrosphere: 10-11 km. Determined by the bottom of the World Ocean, including bottom sediments.

The biosphere is composed of the following types of substances:

Living matter- the entire set of bodies of living organisms inhabiting the Earth is physical and chemically united, regardless of their systematic affiliation. The mass of living matter is relatively small and is estimated at 2.4...3.6 1012 tons (in dry weight) and is less than one millionth of the entire biosphere (approx. 3 1018 tons), which, in turn, is less than one thousandth mass of the Earth. But this is “one of the most powerful geochemical forces on our planet,” since living matter not only inhabits the biosphere, but transforms the appearance of the Earth. Living matter is distributed very unevenly within the biosphere.

Biogenic matter is a substance created and processed by living matter. Throughout organic evolution, living organisms have passed through their organs, tissues, cells, and blood a thousand times over the entire atmosphere, the entire volume of the world's oceans, a huge mass minerals. This geological role of living matter can be imagined from deposits of coal, oil, carbonate rocks, etc.

Inert substance - products formed without the participation of living organisms.

Bioinert substance, which is created simultaneously by living organisms and inert processes, representing dynamically equilibrium systems of both. These are soil, silt, weathering crust, etc. Organisms play a leading role in them.

A substance undergoing radioactive decay.

Scattered atoms, continuously created from all kinds of earthly matter under the influence of cosmic radiation.

Substance of cosmic origin.

The entire layer of the influence of life on inanimate nature is called the megabiosphere, and together with the artebiosphere - the space of humanoid expansion in near-Earth space - the panbiosphere.

The substrate for life in the atmosphere of microorganisms (aerobionts) are water droplets - atmospheric moisture, the source of energy is solar energy and aerosols. From approximately the tops of the trees to the height of the most common location of cumulus clouds, the tropobosphere (with tropobionts; this space is a thinner layer than the troposphere) extends. Above, a layer of extremely rarefied microbiota grows - the altobiosphere (with altobionts). Above there is a space where organisms penetrate randomly and do not reproduce often - the parabiosphere. Above is the apobiosphere.

The geobiosphere is inhabited by geobionts, the substrate, and partly the living environment for which is the earth's firmament. The geobiosphere consists of the area of ​​life on the land surface - the terrabiosphere (with terrabionts), divided into the phytosphere (from the surface of the earth to the treetops) and the pedosphere (soils and subsoils; sometimes this includes the entire weathering crust) and life in the depths of the Earth - the lithobiosphere (with lithobionts living in the pores of rocks, mainly in groundwater). On high altitudes in the mountains, where the life of higher plants is no longer possible, the high-altitude part of the terrabiosphere is located - the aeolian zone (with aeolobionts). The lithobiosphere breaks down into a layer where aerobic life is possible - the hypoterrabiosphere and a layer where only anaerobes can live - the tellurobiosphere. Life in an inactive form can penetrate deeper into the hypobiosphere. Metabiosphere - all biogenic and bioinert rocks. The abiosphere is located deeper.

In the depths of the lithosphere there are 2 theoretical levels of life distribution - the 100 °C isotherm, below which water boils at normal atmospheric pressure, and the 460 °C isotherm, where at any pressure water turns into steam, i.e. it cannot be in a liquid state .

The hydrobiosphere - the entire global layer of water (without groundwater), inhabited by hydrobionts - breaks down into a layer of continental waters - the aquabiosphere (with aquabionts) and the region of seas and oceans - the marinobiosphere (with marinobionts). There are 3 layers - a relatively brightly illuminated photosphere, an always very twilight disphotosphere (up to 1% solar insolation) and a layer of absolute darkness - the aphotosphere.

The concept of “geographical envelope”

Note 1

The geographic envelope is a continuous and integral shell of the Earth, consisting of the earth's crust, troposphere, stratosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and anthroposphere. All components of the geographic shell are in close interaction and penetrate each other. There is a constant exchange of matter and energy between them.

The upper limit of the geographic envelope is the stratosphere, located below the maximum ozone concentration at an altitude of about 25 km. The lower boundary passes in the upper layers of the lithosphere (from 500 to 800 m).

The mutual penetration into each other and the interaction of the components that make up the geographical shell - water, air, mineral and living shells - determine its integrity. In it, in addition to the continuous metabolism and energy, one can also observe a constant circulation of substances. Each component of the geographic shell, developing according to its own laws, is influenced by the other shells and itself affects them.

The impact of the biosphere on the atmosphere is associated with the process of photosynthesis, as a result of which intense gas exchange occurs between living matter and air, as well as regulation of gases in the atmosphere. Green plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, without which life is impossible for most living organisms on the planet. Thanks to the atmosphere earth's surface doesn't overheat solar radiation during the day and does not cool down significantly at night, which is necessary for the normal existence of living beings.

The biosphere influences the hydrosphere. Living organisms can influence the salinity of the waters of the World Ocean by taking from the water some substances necessary for their life (for example, calcium is needed for the formation of shells, shells, skeletons). The aquatic environment is the habitat of many living creatures; water is necessary for the normal functioning of most life processes of representatives of the plant and animal world.

The influence of living organisms on the earth's crust is most pronounced in its upper part, where the remains of plants and animals accumulate and rocks of organic origin are formed.

Living organisms take Active participation not only in the creation of rocks, but also in their destruction. They secrete acids that destroy rocks, affecting the roots, forming deep cracks. As a result of these processes, hard and dense rocks are transformed into loose sedimentary rocks (pebbles, gravel). All conditions are created for the formation of one or another type of soil.

A change in any one component of the geographic shell affects all other shells. For example, the era of the great glaciation in the Quaternary period. The expansion of the land surface created the preconditions for the onset of a drier and colder climate, which led to the formation of thick ice and snow that covered large areas of northern North America and Eurasia. This, in turn, entailed changes in flora, fauna, and soil cover.

Components of the geographic envelope

The main components of the geographic envelope include:

1. Earth's crust. Upper part of the lithosphere. Separated from the mantle by the Mohorovic boundary, characterized by a sharp increase in seismic wave velocities. The thickness of the earth's crust ranges from six kilometers (under the ocean) to 30-50 km (on the continents). There are two types of earth's crust: oceanic and continental. The oceanic crust consists mainly of basic rocks and sedimentary cover. The continental crust contains basalt and granite layers and a sedimentary cover. The earth's crust consists of separate lithospheric plates of different sizes, moving relative to each other.
2. Troposphere. The lower layer of the atmosphere. The upper limit in polar latitudes is 8-10 km, in temperate latitudes – 10-12 km, in tropical latitudes – 16-18 km. In winter, the upper limit is slightly lower than in summer. The troposphere contains 90% of all atmospheric water vapor and 80% of all air mass. It is characterized by convection and turbulence, cloudiness, and the development of cyclones and anticyclones. As altitude increases, temperature decreases.
3. Stratosphere. Its upper boundary is at an altitude of 50 to 55 km. With increasing altitude, the temperature approaches 0 ºС. Characteristic: low content of water vapor, low turbulence, high ozone content (its maximum concentration is observed at an altitude of 20-25 km).
4. Hydrosphere. Includes all the water reserves of the planet. Largest quantity water resources are concentrated in the World Ocean, less in groundwater and the continental network of rivers. Large reserves of water are contained in the form of water vapor and clouds in the atmosphere. Some of the water is stored in the form of ice and snow, forming the cryosphere: snow cover, glaciers, permafrost.
5. Biosphere. The totality of those parts of the components of the geographic shell (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere) that are inhabited by living organisms.
6. Anthroposphere, or noosphere. Sphere of interaction environment and man. Recognition of this shell is not supported by all scientists.

Stages of development of the geographical envelope

Geographical envelope on modern stage- the result of long-term development, during which it constantly became more complex.

Stages of development of the geographical shell:

• The first stage is prebiogenic. Lasted 3 billion years. At this time, only the simplest organisms existed. They took little part in the development and formation of the geographical envelope. The atmosphere was characterized by a high content of carbon dioxide and low oxygen.
• Second phase. Duration - about 570 million years. It is characterized by the dominant role of living organisms in the formation of the geographical envelope. The organisms had an impact on all components of the shell: the composition of the atmosphere and water changed, and the accumulation of rocks of organic origin was observed. At the end of the stage people appeared.
• The third stage is modern. It began 40 thousand years ago. It is characterized by active influence human activity into different components of the geographic envelope.