3. The Environment
The global environment consists of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and lithosphere in which the life-sustaining resources of the earth are contained.
The atmosphere, a mixture of gases extending outward from the surface of the earth, evolved from elements of the earth that were gasified during its formation and metamorphosis. The hydrosphere consists of the oceans, the lakes and streams, and the shallow groundwater bodies that interflow with the surface water. The lithosphere is the soil mantle that wraps the core of the earth.
The biosphere, a thin shell that encapsulates the earte, is made up of the atmosphere and lithosphere adjacent to the surface of the earth, together with the hydrosphere. It is within the biosphere that the life forms of earth, including humans, live. Life-sustaining materials in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms are cycled through the biosphere, providing sustenance to all living organism. Life-sustaining resources －air, food, and water－are withdrawn from the biosphere. It is also into the biosphere that waste products in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms are discharged. From the beginning of time, the biosphere has received and assimilated the wastes generated by plant and animal life. Natural systems have been ever active, dispersing smoke from forest fires, diluting animal wastes washed into streams and rivers, and converting debris of past generations of plant and animal life into soil rich enough to support future populations.
For every natural act of pollution, for every undesirable alteration in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the environmental, for every incident that eroded the quality of the immediate, or local, environment, there were natural actions that restored that quality.
The global environment consists of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and lithosphere in which the life-sustaining resources of the earth are contained.
The atmosphere, a mixture of gases extending outward from the surface of the earth, evolved from elements of the earth that were gasified during its formation and metamorphosis. The hydrosphere consists of the oceans, the lakes and streams, and the shallow groundwater bodies that interflow with the surface water. The lithosphere is the soil mantle that wraps the core of the earth.
The biosphere, a thin shell that encapsulates the earte, is made up of the atmosphere and lithosphere adjacent to the surface of the earth, together with the hydrosphere. It is within the biosphere that the life forms of earth, including humans, live. Life-sustaining materials in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms are cycled through the biosphere, providing sustenance to all living organism. Life-sustaining resources －air, food, and water－are withdrawn from the biosphere. It is also into the biosphere that waste products in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms are discharged. From the beginning of time, the biosphere has received and assimilated the wastes generated by plant and animal life. Natural systems have been ever active, dispersing smoke from forest fires, diluting animal wastes washed into streams and rivers, and converting debris of past generations of plant and animal life into soil rich enough to support future populations.
For every natural act of pollution, for every undesirable alteration in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the environmental, for every incident that eroded the quality of the immediate, or local, environment, there were natural actions that restored that quality.