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Natural environment

The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species, climate, weather and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity.[1] The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished as components:

Land management has preserved the natural characteristics of Hopetoun Falls, Australia while allowing ample access for visitors.
An image of the Sahara desert from satellite. It is the world's largest hot desert and third-largest desert after the polar deserts.

In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment. Built environments are where humans have fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion, the natural environment is greatly changed into a simplified human environment. Even acts which seem less extreme, such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert, the modified environment becomes an artificial one. Though many animals build things to provide a better environment for themselves, they are not human, hence beaver dams, and the works of mound-building termites, are thought of as natural.

People cannot find absolutely natural environments on Earth, and naturalness usually varies in a continuum, from 100% natural in one extreme to 0% natural in the other. The massive environmental changes of humanity in the Anthropocene have fundamentally effected all natural environments: including from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution from plastic and other chemicals in the air and water. More precisely, we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment, and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform.[2] If, for instance, in an agricultural field, the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil, but the structure is quite different.

History

Composition

 
A volcanic fissure and lava channel
 
Earth's layered structure: (1) inner core; (2) outer core; (3) lower mantle; (4) upper mantle; (5) lithosphere; (6) crust

Earth science generally recognizes four spheres, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere[3] as correspondent to rocks, water, air, and life respectively. Some scientists include as part of the spheres of the Earth, the cryosphere (corresponding to ice) as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere, as well as the pedosphere (to soil) as an active and intermixed sphere. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geographical sciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth.[4] There are four major disciplines in earth sciences, namely geography, geology, geophysics and geodesy. These major disciplines use physics, chemistry, biology, chronology and mathematics to build a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the principal areas or spheres of Earth.

Geological activity

The Earth's crust, or lithosphere, is the outermost solid surface of the planet and is chemically and mechanically different from underlying mantle. It has been generated greatly by igneous processes in which magma cools and solidifies to form solid rock. Beneath the lithosphere lies the mantle which is heated by the decay of radioactive elements. The mantle though solid is in a state of rheic convection. This convection process causes the lithospheric plates to move, albeit slowly. The resulting process is known as plate tectonics. Volcanoes result primarily from the melting of subducted crust material or of rising mantle at mid-ocean ridges and mantle plumes.

Water on Earth

 
Coral reefs have significant marine biodiversity.

Most water is found in various kinds of natural body of water.

Oceans

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the surface of the Earth (an area of some 362 million square kilometers) is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas. More than half of this area is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic salinity is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 30 to 38 ppt. Though generally recognized as several separate oceans, these waters comprise one global, interconnected body of salt water often referred to as the World Ocean or global ocean.[5][6] The deep seabeds are more than half the Earth's surface, and are among the least-modified natural environments. The major oceanic divisions are defined in part by the continents, various archipelagos, and other criteria: these divisions are (in descending order of size) the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.

Rivers

A river is a natural watercourse,[7] usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. A few rivers simply flow into the ground and dry up completely without reaching another body of water.

 
Rocky stream in the U.S. state of Hawaii

The water in a river is usually in a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by waters over-topping the channel. Flood plains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel. Rivers are a part of the hydrological cycle. Water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of water stored in glaciers and snowpacks.

Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including stream, creek and brook. Their current is confined within a bed and stream banks. Streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity. The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology.[8]

Lakes

 
Lácar Lake, of glacial origin, in the province of Neuquén, Argentina

A lake (from Latin lacus) is a terrain feature, a body of water that is localized to the bottom of basin. A body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, is not part of an ocean, and is larger and deeper than a pond.[9][10]

Natural lakes on Earth are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing or recent glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world, there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last ice age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.

Ponds

A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or human-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of human-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens designed for aesthetic ornamentation, fish ponds designed for commercial fish breeding, and solar ponds designed to store thermal energy. Ponds and lakes are distinguished from streams by their current speed. While currents in streams are easily observed, ponds and lakes possess thermally driven micro-currents and moderate wind-driven currents. These features distinguish a pond from many other aquatic terrain features, such as stream pools and tide pools.

Human impact on water

Humans impact the water in different ways such as modifying rivers (through dams and stream channelization), urbanization, and deforestation. These impact lake levels, groundwater conditions, water pollution, thermal pollution, and marine pollution. Humans modify rivers by using direct channel manipulation.[11] We build dams and reservoirs and manipulate the direction of the rivers and water path. Dams can usefully create reservoirs and hydroelectric power. However, reservoirs and dams may negatively impact the environment and wildlife. Dams stop fish migration and the movement of organisms downstream. Urbanization affects the environment because of deforestation and changing lake levels, groundwater conditions, etc. Deforestation and urbanization go hand in hand. Deforestation may cause flooding, declining stream flow, and changes in riverside vegetation. The changing vegetation occurs because when trees cannot get adequate water they start to deteriorate, leading to a decreased food supply for the wildlife in an area.[11]

Atmosphere, climate and weather

 
Atmospheric gases scatter blue light more than other wavelengths, creating a blue halo when seen from space.
 
A view of Earth's troposphere from an airplane
 
Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder, which occurs during thunderstorms and certain other natural conditions.[12]

The atmosphere of the Earth serves as a key factor in sustaining the planetary ecosystem. The thin layer of gases that envelops the Earth is held in place by the planet's gravity. Dry air consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon and other inert gases, and carbon dioxide. The remaining gases are often referred to as trace gases.[13] The atmosphere includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Filtered air includes trace amounts of many other chemical compounds. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor and suspensions of water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds. Many natural substances may be present in tiny amounts in an unfiltered air sample, including dust, pollen and spores, sea spray, volcanic ash, and meteoroids. Various industrial pollutants also may be present, such as chlorine (elementary or in compounds), fluorine compounds, elemental mercury, and sulphur compounds such as sulphur dioxide (SO2).

The ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere plays an important role in reducing the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the surface. As DNA is readily damaged by UV light, this serves to protect life at the surface. The atmosphere also retains heat during the night, thereby reducing the daily temperature extremes.

Layers of the atmosphere

Principal layers

Earth's atmosphere can be divided into five main layers. These layers are mainly determined by whether temperature increases or decreases with altitude. From highest to lowest, these layers are:

  • Exosphere: The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere extends from the exobase upward, mainly composed of hydrogen and helium.
  • Thermosphere: The top of the thermosphere is the bottom of the exosphere, called the exobase. Its height varies with solar activity and ranges from about 350–800 km (220–500 mi; 1,150,000–2,620,000 ft). The International Space Station orbits in this layer, between 320 and 380 km (200 and 240 mi).
  • Mesosphere: The mesosphere extends from the stratopause to 80–85 km (50–53 mi; 262,000–279,000 ft). It is the layer where most meteors burn up upon entering the atmosphere.
  • Stratosphere: The stratosphere extends from the tropopause to about 51 km (32 mi; 167,000 ft). The stratopause, which is the boundary between the stratosphere and mesosphere, typically is at 50 to 55 km (31 to 34 mi; 164,000 to 180,000 ft).
  • Troposphere: The troposphere begins at the surface and extends to between 7 km (23,000 ft) at the poles and 17 km (56,000 ft) at the equator, with some variation due to weather. The troposphere is mostly heated by transfer of energy from the surface, so on average the lowest part of the troposphere is warmest and temperature decreases with altitude. The tropopause is the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere.
Other layers

Within the five principal layers determined by temperature there are several layers determined by other properties.

  • The ozone layer is contained within the stratosphere. It is mainly located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from about 15–35 km (9.3–21.7 mi; 49,000–115,000 ft), though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. About 90% of the ozone in our atmosphere is contained in the stratosphere.
  • The ionosphere, the part of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation, stretches from 50 to 1,000 km (31 to 621 mi; 160,000 to 3,280,000 ft) and typically overlaps both the exosphere and the thermosphere. It forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere.
  • The homosphere and heterosphere: The homosphere includes the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere. The upper part of the heterosphere is composed almost completely of hydrogen, the lightest element.
  • The planetary boundary layer is the part of the troposphere that is nearest the Earth's surface and is directly affected by it, mainly through turbulent diffusion.

Effects of global warming

 
The retreat of glaciers since 1850 of Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps (situation in 1979, 1991 and 2002), due to global warming

The dangers of global warming are being increasingly studied by a wide global consortium of scientists.[14] These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long-term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet. Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic, or human-made releases of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, can act interactively, and have adverse effects upon the planet, its natural environment and humans' existence. It is clear the planet is warming, and warming rapidly. This is due to the greenhouse effect, which is caused by greenhouse gases, which trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere because of their more complex molecular structure which allows them to vibrate and in turn trap heat and release it back towards the Earth.[15] This warming is also responsible for the extinction of natural habitats, which in turn leads to a reduction in wildlife population. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the group of the leading climate scientists in the world) concluded that the earth will warm anywhere from 2.7 to almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 to 6 degrees Celsius) between 1990 and 2100.[16] Efforts have been increasingly focused on the mitigation of greenhouse gases that are causing climatic changes, on developing adaptative strategies to global warming, to assist humans, other animal, and plant species, ecosystems, regions and nations in adjusting to the effects of global warming. Some examples of recent collaboration to address climate change and global warming include:

 
Another view of the Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, which because of global warming has been decreasing

A significantly profound challenge is to identify the natural environmental dynamics in contrast to environmental changes not within natural variances. A common solution is to adapt a static view neglecting natural variances to exist. Methodologically, this view could be defended when looking at processes which change slowly and short time series, while the problem arrives when fast processes turns essential in the object of the study.

Climate

 
Worldwide climate classifications map

Climate looks at the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time.[20] Weather, on the other hand, is the present condition of these same elements over periods up to two weeks.[20]

Climates can be classified according to the average and typical ranges of different variables, most commonly temperature and precipitation. The most commonly used classification scheme is the one originally developed by Wladimir Köppen. The Thornthwaite system,[21] in use since 1948, uses evapotranspiration as well as temperature and precipitation information to study animal species diversity and the potential impacts of climate changes.[22]

Weather

 
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere.

Weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given atmospheric area at a given time.[23] Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere,[24][25] just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate is the term for the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time.[26] When used without qualification, "weather" is understood to be the weather of Earth.

Weather occurs due to density (temperature and moisture) differences between one place and another. These differences can occur due to the sun angle at any particular spot, which varies by latitude from the tropics. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream. Weather systems in the mid-latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. On the Earth's surface, temperatures usually range ±40 °C (100 °F to −40 °F) annually. Over thousands of years, changes in the Earth's orbit have affected the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influenced long-term climate.

Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes due to differences in compressional heating. Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. The atmosphere is a chaotic system, and small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout human history, and there is evidence that civilized human activity such as agriculture and industry has inadvertently modified weather patterns.

Life

 
There are many plant species on the planet.
 
An example of the many animal species on the Earth

Evidence suggests that life on Earth has existed for about 3.7 billion years.[27] All known life forms share fundamental molecular mechanisms, and based on these observations, theories on the origin of life attempt to find a mechanism explaining the formation of a primordial single cell organism from which all life originates. There are many different hypotheses regarding the path that might have been taken from simple organic molecules via pre-cellular life to protocells and metabolism.

Although there is no universal agreement on the definition of life, scientists generally accept that the biological manifestation of life is characterized by organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli and reproduction.[28] Life may also be said to be simply the characteristic state of organisms. In biology, the science of living organisms, "life" is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, functional activity and the continual change preceding death.[29][30]

A diverse variety of living organisms (life forms) can be found in the biosphere on Earth, and properties common to these organisms—plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria—are a carbon- and water-based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information. Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to their environment in successive generations. More complex living organisms can communicate through various means.

Ecosystems

 
Rainforests often have a great deal of biodiversity with many plant and animal species. This is the Gambia River in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park.

An ecosystem (also called an environment) is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals, and micro-organisms (biotic factors) in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical (abiotic) factors of the environment.[31]

Central to the ecosystem concept is the idea that living organisms are continually engaged in a highly interrelated set of relationships with every other element constituting the environment in which they exist. Eugene Odum, one of the founders of the science of ecology, stated: "Any unit that includes all of the organisms (i.e.: the "community") in a given area interacting with the physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to clearly defined trophic structure, biotic diversity, and material cycles (i.e.: exchange of materials between living and nonliving parts) within the system is an ecosystem."[32]

 
Old-growth forest and a creek on Larch Mountain, in the U.S. state of Oregon

The human ecosystem concept is then grounded in the deconstruction of the human/nature dichotomy, and the emergent premise that all species are ecologically integrated with each other, as well as with the abiotic constituents of their biotope.

A more significant number or variety of species or biological diversity of an ecosystem may contribute to greater resilience of an ecosystem because there are more species present at a location to respond to change and thus "absorb" or reduce its effects. This reduces the effect before the ecosystem's structure changes to a different state. This is not universally the case and there is no proven relationship between the species diversity of an ecosystem and its ability to provide goods and services on a sustainable level.

The term ecosystem can also pertain to human-made environments, such as human ecosystems and human-influenced ecosystems. It can describe any situation where there is relationship between living organisms and their environment. Fewer areas on the surface of the earth today exist free from human contact, although some genuine wilderness areas continue to exist without any forms of human intervention.

Biogeochemical cycles

 
Chloroplasts conduct photosynthesis and are found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms. These are chloroplasts visible in the cells of Plagiomnium affine — many-fruited thyme-moss.

Global biogeochemical cycles are critical to life, most notably those of water, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.[33]

  • The nitrogen cycle is the transformation of nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature. It is a cycle which includes gaseous components.
  • The water cycle, is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Water can change states among liquid, vapour, and ice at various places in the water cycle. Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go.
  • The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth.
  • The oxygen cycle is the movement of oxygen within and between its three main reservoirs: the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the lithosphere. The main driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis, which is responsible for the modern Earth's atmospheric composition and life.
  • The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. The atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movements of phosphorus, because phosphorus and phosphorus compounds are usually solids at the typical ranges of temperature and pressure found on Earth.

Wilderness

 
The Ahklun Mountains and the Togiak Wilderness within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Alaska

Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. The WILD Foundation goes into more detail, defining wilderness as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet – those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure."[34] Wilderness areas and protected parks are considered important for the survival of certain species, ecological studies, conservation, solitude, and recreation. Wilderness is deeply valued for cultural, spiritual, moral, and aesthetic reasons. Some nature writers believe wilderness areas are vital for the human spirit and creativity.[35]

The word, "wilderness", derives from the notion of wildness; in other words that which is not controllable by humans. The word's etymology is from the Old English wildeornes, which in turn derives from wildeor meaning wild beast (wild + deor = beast, deer).[36] From this point of view, it is the wildness of a place that makes it a wilderness. The mere presence or activity of people does not disqualify an area from being "wilderness." Many ecosystems that are, or have been, inhabited or influenced by activities of people may still be considered "wild." This way of looking at wilderness includes areas within which natural processes operate without very noticeable human interference.

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, rain forests, plains, and other areas—including the most developed urban sites—all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by civilized human factors, most scientists agree that wildlife around the world is (now) impacted by human activities.

 
A view of wilderness in Estonia

Challenges

 
Before flue-gas desulfurization was installed, the air-polluting emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide.
 
Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The tropical rainforests of South America contain the largest diversity of species on Earth, including some that have evolved within the past few hundred thousand years.[37][38]

It is the common understanding of natural environment that underlies environmentalism — a broad political, social, and philosophical movement that advocates various actions and policies in the interest of protecting what nature remains in the natural environment, or restoring or expanding the role of nature in this environment. While true wilderness is increasingly rare, wild nature (e.g., unmanaged forests, uncultivated grasslands, wildlife, wildflowers) can be found in many locations previously inhabited by humans.

Goals for the benefit of people and natural systems, commonly expressed by environmental scientists and environmentalists include:

Criticism

In some cultures the term environment is meaningless because there is no separation between people and what they view as the natural world, or their surroundings.[45] Specifically in the United States and Arabian countries many native cultures do not recognize the "environment", or see themselves as environmentalists.[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ Johnson, D. L.; Ambrose, S. H.; Bassett, T. J.; Bowen, M. L.; Crummey, D. E.; Isaacson, J. S.; Johnson, D. N.; Lamb, P.; Saul, M.; Winter-Nelson, A. E. (1997). "Meanings of Environmental Terms". Journal of Environmental Quality. 26 (3): 581–589. doi:10.2134/jeq1997.00472425002600030002x.
  2. ^ Symons, Donald (1979). The Evolution of Human Sexuality. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-19-502535-0.
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  4. ^ What is Earth Science? | Geology Buzz
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  6. ^ "Distribution of land and water on the planet May 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine". UN Atlas of the Oceans September 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ River {definition} from Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 2010.
  8. ^ . United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Britannica Online. "Lake (physical feature)". Retrieved 2008-06-25. [a Lake is] any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. Definitions that precisely distinguish lakes, ponds, swamps, and even rivers and other bodies of nonoceanic water are not established. It may be said, however, that rivers and streams are relatively fast-moving; marshes and swamps contain relatively large quantities of grasses, trees, or shrubs; and ponds are relatively small in comparison to lakes. Geologically defined, lakes are temporary bodies of water.
  10. ^ "Dictionary.com definition". Retrieved 2008-06-25. a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
  11. ^ a b Goudie, Andrew (2000). The Human Impact on the Natural Environment. Cambridge, Massachusetts: This MIT Press. pp. 203–239. ISBN 0-262-57138-2.
  12. ^ NGDC – NOAA. "Volcanic Lightning". National Geophysical Data Center – NOAA. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
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  16. ^ Forthofer, Ron. . Boulder Daily Camera. Archived from the original on 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
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  18. ^ Kyoto Protocol from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Retrieved August 2008.
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  20. ^ a b "What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?". National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
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  24. ^ Glossary of Meteorology. Hydrosphere. 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-27.
  25. ^ Glossary of Meteorology. Troposphere. 2012-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-27.
  26. ^ "Climate". Glossary of Meteorology. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  27. ^ "History of life through time". University of California Museum of Paleontology.
  28. ^ . California Academy of Sciences. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
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  30. ^ "Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
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  45. ^ Jamieson, Dale. (2007). "The Heart of Environmentalism". In R. Sandler & P. C. Pezzullo. Environmental Justice and Environmentalism. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press. pp. 85–101. ISBN 9780262195522
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Further reading

  • Adams, Simon; David Lambert (2006). Earth Science: An illustrated guide to science. New York NY 10001: Chelsea House. p. 20. ISBN 0-8160-6164-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  • "Earth's Energy Budget". Oklahoma Climatological Survey. 1996–2004. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  • Oldroyd, David (2006). Earth Cycles: A historical perspective. Westport, Connicticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33229-0.
  • Simison, W. Brian (2007-02-05). "The mechanism behind plate tectonics". Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  • Smith, Gary A.; Aurora Pun (2006). How Does the Earth Work? Physical Geology and the Process of Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 5. ISBN 0-13-034129-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

External links

  •   Media related to Environment at Wikimedia Commons
  • UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme
  • BBC - Science and Nature.

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For the biology term see Biophysical environment For other uses see Environment Natural force redirects here For the album by Bonnie Tyler see Natural Force The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non living things occurring naturally meaning in this case not artificial The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species climate weather and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity 1 The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished as components Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive civilized human intervention including all vegetation microorganisms soil rocks the atmosphere and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries and their nature Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear cut boundaries such as air water and climate as well as energy radiation electric charge and magnetism not originating from civilized human actions Land management has preserved the natural characteristics of Hopetoun Falls Australia while allowing ample access for visitors An image of the Sahara desert from satellite It is the world s largest hot desert and third largest desert after the polar deserts In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment Built environments are where humans have fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion the natural environment is greatly changed into a simplified human environment Even acts which seem less extreme such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert the modified environment becomes an artificial one Though many animals build things to provide a better environment for themselves they are not human hence beaver dams and the works of mound building termites are thought of as natural People cannot find absolutely natural environments on Earth and naturalness usually varies in a continuum from 100 natural in one extreme to 0 natural in the other The massive environmental changes of humanity in the Anthropocene have fundamentally effected all natural environments including from climate change biodiversity loss and pollution from plastic and other chemicals in the air and water More precisely we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform 2 If for instance in an agricultural field the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil but the structure is quite different Contents 1 History 2 Composition 3 Geological activity 4 Water on Earth 4 1 Oceans 4 2 Rivers 4 3 Lakes 4 3 1 Ponds 4 4 Human impact on water 5 Atmosphere climate and weather 5 1 Layers of the atmosphere 5 1 1 Principal layers 5 1 2 Effects of global warming 5 2 Climate 5 3 Weather 6 Life 7 Ecosystems 8 Biogeochemical cycles 9 Wilderness 10 Challenges 11 Criticism 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External linksHistory EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it December 2022 Composition Edit A volcanic fissure and lava channel Main article Earth science Earth s layered structure 1 inner core 2 outer core 3 lower mantle 4 upper mantle 5 lithosphere 6 crust Earth science generally recognizes four spheres the lithosphere the hydrosphere the atmosphere and the biosphere 3 as correspondent to rocks water air and life respectively Some scientists include as part of the spheres of the Earth the cryosphere corresponding to ice as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere as well as the pedosphere to soil as an active and intermixed sphere Earth science also known as geoscience the geographical sciences or the Earth Sciences is an all embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth 4 There are four major disciplines in earth sciences namely geography geology geophysics and geodesy These major disciplines use physics chemistry biology chronology and mathematics to build a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the principal areas or spheres of Earth Geological activity EditMain article Geology The Earth s crust or lithosphere is the outermost solid surface of the planet and is chemically and mechanically different from underlying mantle It has been generated greatly by igneous processes in which magma cools and solidifies to form solid rock Beneath the lithosphere lies the mantle which is heated by the decay of radioactive elements The mantle though solid is in a state of rheic convection This convection process causes the lithospheric plates to move albeit slowly The resulting process is known as plate tectonics Volcanoes result primarily from the melting of subducted crust material or of rising mantle at mid ocean ridges and mantle plumes Water on Earth Edit Coral reefs have significant marine biodiversity Most water is found in various kinds of natural body of water Oceans Edit Main article Ocean An ocean is a major body of saline water and a component of the hydrosphere Approximately 71 of the surface of the Earth an area of some 362 million square kilometers is covered by ocean a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas More than half of this area is over 3 000 meters 9 800 ft deep Average oceanic salinity is around 35 parts per thousand ppt 3 5 and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 30 to 38 ppt Though generally recognized as several separate oceans these waters comprise one global interconnected body of salt water often referred to as the World Ocean or global ocean 5 6 The deep seabeds are more than half the Earth s surface and are among the least modified natural environments The major oceanic divisions are defined in part by the continents various archipelagos and other criteria these divisions are in descending order of size the Pacific Ocean the Atlantic Ocean the Indian Ocean the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean Rivers Edit Main article River A river is a natural watercourse 7 usually freshwater flowing toward an ocean a lake a sea or another river A few rivers simply flow into the ground and dry up completely without reaching another body of water Rocky stream in the U S state of Hawaii The water in a river is usually in a channel made up of a stream bed between banks In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by waters over topping the channel Flood plains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel Rivers are a part of the hydrological cycle Water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff groundwater recharge springs and the release of water stored in glaciers and snowpacks Small rivers may also be called by several other names including stream creek and brook Their current is confined within a bed and stream banks Streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology 8 Further information Stream Lakes Edit Lacar Lake of glacial origin in the province of Neuquen Argentina Main article Lake A lake from Latin lacus is a terrain feature a body of water that is localized to the bottom of basin A body of water is considered a lake when it is inland is not part of an ocean and is larger and deeper than a pond 9 10 A swamp area in Everglades National Park Florida US Natural lakes on Earth are generally found in mountainous areas rift zones and areas with ongoing or recent glaciation Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last ice age All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them Ponds Edit Main article Pond A pond is a body of standing water either natural or human made that is usually smaller than a lake A wide variety of human made bodies of water are classified as ponds including water gardens designed for aesthetic ornamentation fish ponds designed for commercial fish breeding and solar ponds designed to store thermal energy Ponds and lakes are distinguished from streams by their current speed While currents in streams are easily observed ponds and lakes possess thermally driven micro currents and moderate wind driven currents These features distinguish a pond from many other aquatic terrain features such as stream pools and tide pools Human impact on water Edit Humans impact the water in different ways such as modifying rivers through dams and stream channelization urbanization and deforestation These impact lake levels groundwater conditions water pollution thermal pollution and marine pollution Humans modify rivers by using direct channel manipulation 11 We build dams and reservoirs and manipulate the direction of the rivers and water path Dams can usefully create reservoirs and hydroelectric power However reservoirs and dams may negatively impact the environment and wildlife Dams stop fish migration and the movement of organisms downstream Urbanization affects the environment because of deforestation and changing lake levels groundwater conditions etc Deforestation and urbanization go hand in hand Deforestation may cause flooding declining stream flow and changes in riverside vegetation The changing vegetation occurs because when trees cannot get adequate water they start to deteriorate leading to a decreased food supply for the wildlife in an area 11 Atmosphere climate and weather Edit Atmospheric gases scatter blue light more than other wavelengths creating a blue halo when seen from space A view of Earth s troposphere from an airplane Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder which occurs during thunderstorms and certain other natural conditions 12 The atmosphere of the Earth serves as a key factor in sustaining the planetary ecosystem The thin layer of gases that envelops the Earth is held in place by the planet s gravity Dry air consists of 78 nitrogen 21 oxygen 1 argon and other inert gases and carbon dioxide The remaining gases are often referred to as trace gases 13 The atmosphere includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane nitrous oxide and ozone Filtered air includes trace amounts of many other chemical compounds Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor and suspensions of water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds Many natural substances may be present in tiny amounts in an unfiltered air sample including dust pollen and spores sea spray volcanic ash and meteoroids Various industrial pollutants also may be present such as chlorine elementary or in compounds fluorine compounds elemental mercury and sulphur compounds such as sulphur dioxide SO2 The ozone layer of the Earth s atmosphere plays an important role in reducing the amount of ultraviolet UV radiation that reaches the surface As DNA is readily damaged by UV light this serves to protect life at the surface The atmosphere also retains heat during the night thereby reducing the daily temperature extremes Layers of the atmosphere Edit Main article Earth s atmosphere Principal layers Edit Earth s atmosphere can be divided into five main layers These layers are mainly determined by whether temperature increases or decreases with altitude From highest to lowest these layers are Exosphere The outermost layer of Earth s atmosphere extends from the exobase upward mainly composed of hydrogen and helium Thermosphere The top of the thermosphere is the bottom of the exosphere called the exobase Its height varies with solar activity and ranges from about 350 800 km 220 500 mi 1 150 000 2 620 000 ft The International Space Station orbits in this layer between 320 and 380 km 200 and 240 mi Mesosphere The mesosphere extends from the stratopause to 80 85 km 50 53 mi 262 000 279 000 ft It is the layer where most meteors burn up upon entering the atmosphere Stratosphere The stratosphere extends from the tropopause to about 51 km 32 mi 167 000 ft The stratopause which is the boundary between the stratosphere and mesosphere typically is at 50 to 55 km 31 to 34 mi 164 000 to 180 000 ft Troposphere The troposphere begins at the surface and extends to between 7 km 23 000 ft at the poles and 17 km 56 000 ft at the equator with some variation due to weather The troposphere is mostly heated by transfer of energy from the surface so on average the lowest part of the troposphere is warmest and temperature decreases with altitude The tropopause is the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere Other layersWithin the five principal layers determined by temperature there are several layers determined by other properties The ozone layer is contained within the stratosphere It is mainly located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from about 15 35 km 9 3 21 7 mi 49 000 115 000 ft though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically About 90 of the ozone in our atmosphere is contained in the stratosphere The ionosphere the part of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation stretches from 50 to 1 000 km 31 to 621 mi 160 000 to 3 280 000 ft and typically overlaps both the exosphere and the thermosphere It forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere The homosphere and heterosphere The homosphere includes the troposphere stratosphere and mesosphere The upper part of the heterosphere is composed almost completely of hydrogen the lightest element The planetary boundary layer is the part of the troposphere that is nearest the Earth s surface and is directly affected by it mainly through turbulent diffusion Effects of global warming Edit The retreat of glaciers since 1850 of Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps situation in 1979 1991 and 2002 due to global warming Main article Effects of global warming The dangers of global warming are being increasingly studied by a wide global consortium of scientists 14 These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic or human made releases of greenhouse gases most notably carbon dioxide can act interactively and have adverse effects upon the planet its natural environment and humans existence It is clear the planet is warming and warming rapidly This is due to the greenhouse effect which is caused by greenhouse gases which trap heat inside the Earth s atmosphere because of their more complex molecular structure which allows them to vibrate and in turn trap heat and release it back towards the Earth 15 This warming is also responsible for the extinction of natural habitats which in turn leads to a reduction in wildlife population The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change the group of the leading climate scientists in the world concluded that the earth will warm anywhere from 2 7 to almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit 1 5 to 6 degrees Celsius between 1990 and 2100 16 Efforts have been increasingly focused on the mitigation of greenhouse gases that are causing climatic changes on developing adaptative strategies to global warming to assist humans other animal and plant species ecosystems regions and nations in adjusting to the effects of global warming Some examples of recent collaboration to address climate change and global warming include Another view of the Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps which because of global warming has been decreasing The United Nations Framework Convention Treaty and convention on Climate Change to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system 17 The Kyoto Protocol which is the protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty again with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases in an effort to prevent anthropogenic climate change 18 The Western Climate Initiative to identify evaluate and implement collective and cooperative ways to reduce greenhouse gases in the region focusing on a market based cap and trade system 19 A significantly profound challenge is to identify the natural environmental dynamics in contrast to environmental changes not within natural variances A common solution is to adapt a static view neglecting natural variances to exist Methodologically this view could be defended when looking at processes which change slowly and short time series while the problem arrives when fast processes turns essential in the object of the study Climate Edit Worldwide climate classifications map Main article Climate Climate looks at the statistics of temperature humidity atmospheric pressure wind rainfall atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time 20 Weather on the other hand is the present condition of these same elements over periods up to two weeks 20 Climates can be classified according to the average and typical ranges of different variables most commonly temperature and precipitation The most commonly used classification scheme is the one originally developed by Wladimir Koppen The Thornthwaite system 21 in use since 1948 uses evapotranspiration as well as temperature and precipitation information to study animal species diversity and the potential impacts of climate changes 22 Weather Edit A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth s atmosphere Main article Weather Weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given atmospheric area at a given time 23 Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere 24 25 just below the stratosphere Weather refers generally to day to day temperature and precipitation activity whereas climate is the term for the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time 26 When used without qualification weather is understood to be the weather of Earth Weather occurs due to density temperature and moisture differences between one place and another These differences can occur due to the sun angle at any particular spot which varies by latitude from the tropics The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream Weather systems in the mid latitudes such as extratropical cyclones are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow Because the Earth s axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year On the Earth s surface temperatures usually range 40 C 100 F to 40 F annually Over thousands of years changes in the Earth s orbit have affected the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influenced long term climate Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes due to differences in compressional heating Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location The atmosphere is a chaotic system and small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout human history and there is evidence that civilized human activity such as agriculture and industry has inadvertently modified weather patterns Life Edit There are many plant species on the planet An example of the many animal species on the Earth Main articles Life Biology and Biosphere Evidence suggests that life on Earth has existed for about 3 7 billion years 27 All known life forms share fundamental molecular mechanisms and based on these observations theories on the origin of life attempt to find a mechanism explaining the formation of a primordial single cell organism from which all life originates There are many different hypotheses regarding the path that might have been taken from simple organic molecules via pre cellular life to protocells and metabolism Although there is no universal agreement on the definition of life scientists generally accept that the biological manifestation of life is characterized by organization metabolism growth adaptation response to stimuli and reproduction 28 Life may also be said to be simply the characteristic state of organisms In biology the science of living organisms life is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter including the capacity for growth functional activity and the continual change preceding death 29 30 A diverse variety of living organisms life forms can be found in the biosphere on Earth and properties common to these organisms plants animals fungi protists archaea and bacteria are a carbon and water based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information Living organisms undergo metabolism maintain homeostasis possess a capacity to grow respond to stimuli reproduce and through natural selection adapt to their environment in successive generations More complex living organisms can communicate through various means Ecosystems Edit Rainforests often have a great deal of biodiversity with many plant and animal species This is the Gambia River in Senegal s Niokolo Koba National Park Main article Ecosystem An ecosystem also called an environment is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro organisms biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non living physical abiotic factors of the environment 31 Central to the ecosystem concept is the idea that living organisms are continually engaged in a highly interrelated set of relationships with every other element constituting the environment in which they exist Eugene Odum one of the founders of the science of ecology stated Any unit that includes all of the organisms i e the community in a given area interacting with the physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to clearly defined trophic structure biotic diversity and material cycles i e exchange of materials between living and nonliving parts within the system is an ecosystem 32 Old growth forest and a creek on Larch Mountain in the U S state of Oregon The human ecosystem concept is then grounded in the deconstruction of the human nature dichotomy and the emergent premise that all species are ecologically integrated with each other as well as with the abiotic constituents of their biotope A more significant number or variety of species or biological diversity of an ecosystem may contribute to greater resilience of an ecosystem because there are more species present at a location to respond to change and thus absorb or reduce its effects This reduces the effect before the ecosystem s structure changes to a different state This is not universally the case and there is no proven relationship between the species diversity of an ecosystem and its ability to provide goods and services on a sustainable level The term ecosystem can also pertain to human made environments such as human ecosystems and human influenced ecosystems It can describe any situation where there is relationship between living organisms and their environment Fewer areas on the surface of the earth today exist free from human contact although some genuine wilderness areas continue to exist without any forms of human intervention Biogeochemical cycles Edit Chloroplasts conduct photosynthesis and are found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms These are chloroplasts visible in the cells of Plagiomnium affine many fruited thyme moss Main article Biogeochemical cycles Global biogeochemical cycles are critical to life most notably those of water oxygen carbon nitrogen and phosphorus 33 The nitrogen cycle is the transformation of nitrogen and nitrogen containing compounds in nature It is a cycle which includes gaseous components The water cycle is the continuous movement of water on above and below the surface of the Earth Water can change states among liquid vapour and ice at various places in the water cycle Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time individual water molecules can come and go The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere pedosphere geosphere hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth The oxygen cycle is the movement of oxygen within and between its three main reservoirs the atmosphere the biosphere and the lithosphere The main driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis which is responsible for the modern Earth s atmospheric composition and life The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere hydrosphere and biosphere The atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movements of phosphorus because phosphorus and phosphorus compounds are usually solids at the typical ranges of temperature and pressure found on Earth Wilderness Edit A conifer forest in the Swiss Alps National Park The Ahklun Mountains and the Togiak Wilderness within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge in the U S state of Alaska Main article Wilderness Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity The WILD Foundation goes into more detail defining wilderness as The most intact undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads pipelines or other industrial infrastructure 34 Wilderness areas and protected parks are considered important for the survival of certain species ecological studies conservation solitude and recreation Wilderness is deeply valued for cultural spiritual moral and aesthetic reasons Some nature writers believe wilderness areas are vital for the human spirit and creativity 35 The word wilderness derives from the notion of wildness in other words that which is not controllable by humans The word s etymology is from the Old English wildeornes which in turn derives from wildeor meaning wild beast wild deor beast deer 36 From this point of view it is the wildness of a place that makes it a wilderness The mere presence or activity of people does not disqualify an area from being wilderness Many ecosystems that are or have been inhabited or influenced by activities of people may still be considered wild This way of looking at wilderness includes areas within which natural processes operate without very noticeable human interference Wildlife includes all non domesticated plants animals and other organisms Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet and has a major impact on the environment both positive and negative Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems Deserts rain forests plains and other areas including the most developed urban sites all have distinct forms of wildlife While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by civilized human factors most scientists agree that wildlife around the world is now impacted by human activities A view of wilderness in EstoniaChallenges Edit Before flue gas desulfurization was installed the air polluting emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide Amazon rainforest in Brazil The tropical rainforests of South America contain the largest diversity of species on Earth including some that have evolved within the past few hundred thousand years 37 38 See also List of environmental issues and World Scientists Warning to Humanity It is the common understanding of natural environment that underlies environmentalism a broad political social and philosophical movement that advocates various actions and policies in the interest of protecting what nature remains in the natural environment or restoring or expanding the role of nature in this environment While true wilderness is increasingly rare wild nature e g unmanaged forests uncultivated grasslands wildlife wildflowers can be found in many locations previously inhabited by humans Goals for the benefit of people and natural systems commonly expressed by environmental scientists and environmentalists include Elimination of pollution and toxicants in air water soil buildings manufactured goods and food Preservation of biodiversity and protection of endangered species Conservation and sustainable use of resources such as water 39 land air energy raw materials and natural resources Halting human induced global warming which represents pollution a threat to biodiversity and a threat to human populations Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy in electricity heating and cooling and transportation which addresses pollution global warming and sustainability This may include public transportation and distributed generation which have benefits for traffic congestion and electric reliability Shifting from meat intensive diets to largely plant based diets in order to help mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change 40 Establishment of nature reserves for recreational purposes and ecosystem preservation Sustainable and less polluting waste management including waste reduction or even zero waste reuse recycling composting waste to energy and anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge Reducing profligate consumption and clamping down on illegal fishing and logging 41 Slowing and stabilisation of human population growth 42 Reducing the import of second hand electronic appliances from developed countries to developing countries 43 44 Criticism EditIn some cultures the term environment is meaningless because there is no separation between people and what they view as the natural world or their surroundings 45 Specifically in the United States and Arabian countries many native cultures do not recognize the environment or see themselves as environmentalists 46 See also Edit Environment portal Ecology portal World portalConservation movement Gaia hypothesis Greening Index of environmental articles List of environmental issues List of environmental websites Natural capital Natural history Natural landscape Sustainability Sustainable agriculture Timeline of environmental history Geological engineeringReferences Edit Johnson D L Ambrose S H Bassett T J Bowen M L Crummey D E Isaacson J S Johnson D N Lamb P Saul M Winter Nelson A E 1997 Meanings of Environmental Terms Journal of Environmental Quality 26 3 581 589 doi 10 2134 jeq1997 00472425002600030002x Symons Donald 1979 The Evolution of Human Sexuality New York Oxford University Press p 31 ISBN 0 19 502535 0 Earth s Spheres Archived 2007 08 31 at the Wayback Machine Wheeling Jesuit University NASA Classroom of the Future Retrieved November 11 2007 What is Earth Science Geology Buzz Page Jaffna Srilanka s Top Tamil Online News Paper Archived from the original on 2012 07 14 Retrieved 2012 07 15 The Columbia Encyclopedia 2002 New York Columbia University Press Distribution of land and water on the planet Archived May 31 2008 at the Wayback Machine UN Atlas of the Oceans Archived September 15 2008 at the Wayback Machine River definition from Merriam Webster Accessed February 2010 What is hydrology and what do hydrologists do United States Geological Survey Archived from the original on April 27 2012 Retrieved July 27 2021 Britannica Online Lake physical feature Retrieved 2008 06 25 a Lake is any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size Definitions that precisely distinguish lakes ponds swamps and even rivers and other bodies of nonoceanic water are not established It may be said however that rivers and streams are relatively fast moving marshes and swamps contain relatively large quantities of grasses trees or shrubs and ponds are relatively small in comparison to lakes Geologically defined lakes are temporary bodies of water Dictionary com definition Retrieved 2008 06 25 a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size surrounded by land a b Goudie Andrew 2000 The Human Impact on the Natural Environment Cambridge Massachusetts This MIT Press pp 203 239 ISBN 0 262 57138 2 NGDC NOAA Volcanic Lightning National Geophysical Data Center NOAA Retrieved September 21 2007 Joe Buchdahl Atmosphere Climate amp Environment Information Programme Ace mmu ac uk Archived from the original on 2010 10 09 Retrieved 2013 03 09 World s Space Agencies Unite To Face The Climate Challenge ISRO www isro gov in Retrieved 2019 12 10 Climate Change sites google com Retrieved 2019 01 08 Forthofer Ron It s Time To Act On Global Warming Boulder Daily Camera Archived from the original on 2013 06 16 Retrieved 2013 10 28 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Retrieved August 2008 Kyoto Protocol from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Retrieved August 2008 Western Climate Initiative Archived 2008 04 23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on Feb 12 2009 a b What s the Difference Between Weather and Climate National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI 2018 03 09 Retrieved 2021 04 22 Thornthwaite C W 1948 An Approach toward a Rational Classification of Climate Geographical Review 38 1 55 94 doi 10 2307 210739 JSTOR 210739 Garcia Carmen Isabel Lujan 2013 06 19 English for geographers Editorial Club Universitario ISBN 9788499485676 Merriam Webster Dictionary Weather Retrieved on 2008 06 27 Glossary of Meteorology Hydrosphere Archived 2012 03 15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008 06 27 Glossary of Meteorology Troposphere Archived 2012 09 28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008 06 27 Climate Glossary of Meteorology American Meteorological Society Retrieved 2008 05 14 History of life through time University of California Museum of Paleontology Definition of Life California Academy of Sciences 2006 Archived from the original on 2007 02 08 Retrieved 2007 01 07 The Concise Oxford Dictionary English Edition 1991 Merriam Webster Dictionary Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved 2009 06 21 Christopherson Robert W 1996 Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 505314 5 Odum E P 1971 Fundamentals of Ecology Third ed New York Saunders ISBN 0 7216 6941 7 Smil V 2000 Cycles of Life New York Scientific American Library ISBN 978 0 7167 5079 6 The WILD Foundation Wild org Archived from the original on 2012 12 04 Retrieved 2013 03 09 Botkin Daniel B 2001 No Man s Garden Thoreau And A New Vision For Civilization And Nature Island Press pp 155 157 ISBN 978 1 55963 465 6 wilderness CollinsDictionary com Collins English Dictionary Complete amp Unabridged 11th Edition Retrieved November 29 2012 Why the Amazon Rainforest is So Rich in Species News Earthobservatory nasa gov 2005 12 05 Archived from the original on 2011 02 25 Retrieved 2013 03 09 Why The Amazon Rainforest Is So Rich In Species Sciencedaily com 2005 12 05 Retrieved 2013 03 09 Escolero O Kralisch S Martinez S E Perevochtchikova M 2016 Diagnostico y analisis de los factores que influyen en la vulnerabilidad de las fuentes de abastecimiento de agua potable a la Ciudad de Mexico Mexico Boletin de la Sociedad Geologica Mexicana in Spanish 68 3 409 427 doi 10 18268 BSGM2016v68n3a3 Drayer Lisa January 2 2019 Change your diet to combat climate change in 2019 CNN Retrieved February 14 2019 Plumer Brad May 6 2019 Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an Unprecedented Pace The New York Times Retrieved June 14 2019 Ripple WJ Wolf C Newsome TM Galetti M Alamgir M Crist E Mahmoud MI Laurance WF 13 November 2017 World Scientists Warning to Humanity A Second Notice BioScience 67 12 1026 1028 doi 10 1093 biosci bix125 It is also time to re examine and change our individual behaviors including limiting our own reproduction ideally to replacement level at most The Rich World s Electronic Waste Dumped in Ghana Bloomberg com 2019 05 29 Retrieved 2023 05 06 India E waste provides poor children a dangerous living DW 02 09 2023 dw com Retrieved 2023 05 06 Jamieson Dale 2007 The Heart of Environmentalism In R Sandler amp P C Pezzullo Environmental Justice and Environmentalism Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press pp 85 101 ISBN 9780262195522 Davis T 2000 Sustaining the Forest the People and the Spirit State University of New York pp 1 24 ISBN 9780791444153Further reading EditAdams Simon David Lambert 2006 Earth Science An illustrated guide to science New York NY 10001 Chelsea House p 20 ISBN 0 8160 6164 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Earth s Energy Budget Oklahoma Climatological Survey 1996 2004 Retrieved 2007 11 17 Oldroyd David 2006 Earth Cycles A historical perspective Westport Connicticut Greenwood Press ISBN 0 313 33229 0 Simison W Brian 2007 02 05 The mechanism behind plate tectonics Retrieved 2007 11 17 Smith Gary A Aurora Pun 2006 How Does the Earth Work Physical Geologyand theProcess of Science Upper Saddle River NJ 07458 Pearson Prentice Hall p 5 ISBN 0 13 034129 0 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link External links Edit Look up natural environment in Wiktionary the free dictionary Media related to Environment at Wikimedia Commons UNEP United Nations Environment Programme BBC Science and Nature Science gov Environment amp Environmental Quality Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Natural environment amp oldid 1153776294, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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