The anthroposphere refers to that part of the Earth system that is made or modified by humans for use in human activities and human habitats. The term has been suggested for inclusion as one of the Earth's spheres, while others use the related term technosphere. The term "anthroposphere" was first coined by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1862. The anthroposphere can be viewed as a human-generated equivalent to the

biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...

. While the biosphere is the total

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

of the Earth and its interaction with its systems, the anthroposphere is the total mass of human-generated systems and materials, including the human population, and its interaction with the Earth's systems. A recent study estimated the mass of anthropogenic creations as 1.1 trillion tons in 2020, equivalent to the mass of all living organisms that comprise the

. However, while the biosphere is able to efficiently produce and recycle materials through processes like photosynthesis and decomposition, the anthroposphere is highly inefficient at sustaining itself. As human technology becomes more evolved, such as that required to launch objects into orbit or to cause

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, the impact of human activities on the environment potentially increases. The anthroposphere is the youngest of all the Earth's spheres, yet has made an enormous impact on the Earth and its systems in a very short time. Some consider the term anthroposphere to be synonymous with the noosphere, though the noosphere is often used to refer specifically to the sphere of rational human thought, or ‘the terrestrial sphere of thinking substance’. The anthroposphere is also closely related to the concept of the "technosphere" developed by geologist Peter Haff, historian of science Jürgen Renn, and others. The technosphere refers to all of the technological objects and systems manufactured and created by humans, as contrasted for instance to the

. The technosphere is also distinct from the anthroposphere in these sense that the anthroposphere encompasses not only technologies but cultural, social, economic, and political systems, as well as human behaviors and practices. Aspects of the anthroposphere include: mines from which minerals are obtained; mechanized agriculture and transportation which support the global food system; oil and gas fields; computer-based systems including the Internet; educational systems; landfills; factories; atmospheric pollution;

artificial satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scienti ...

s in

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

, both active satellites and space junk; forestry and deforestation;

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

; transportation systems including roads, highways, and subways; nuclear installations; warfare. Technofossils are another interesting aspect of the anthroposphere. These can include objects like mobile phones that contain a diverse range of metals and man-made materials, raw materials like

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

that do not exist in nature, and agglomerations of plastics created in areas like the Pacific Garbage Patch and on the beaches of the Pacific Islands.

References

External links

The Anthroposphere
* Wikiversity:Technology as a threat or promise for life and its forms Earth sciences Artificial objects {{geo-term-stub

See also

References

External links