The Biosphere and the Global System
Goods and the Biosphere
Imporatance of the Biosphere
Biomes provide 3 key services to the planet. These are:
- Healthy air
- Healthy soils
- Water supply and protection against flood risk
Regulating the Atmosphere | Soil Health | Managing the World’s Water | Other benefits |
The biosphere regulates the amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen in our atmosphere – through photosynthesis and respiration of living things | We cannot survive without the plants and crops grown in soils around the world | Plants store huge amounts of water and are a vital line of defence against flooding. | The biosphere and the pants and animals that live within them provide an important psychological and aesthetic benefit for people. |
Without respiration producing carbon dioxide the Earth would cool down and there would be another glacial period | Most temperate soils, such as brown soils, would be infertile without the breakdown of leaf litter to add nutrients to the soil. | In 2016 severe flooding in Bangladesh was blamed on illegal logging along the floodplain. | Detoxification of human life and our waste that is produced. |
Forests such as the Amazon Rainforest, breath out oxygen during the daylight hours | The decomposition is greatly aided by the biosphere, as earthworms churn up the soil and bacteria breaks it down. | Mangrove forests line many tropical coastal areas and soak up salt water without impacting the plants – when these are cut down, the impacts of flooding increases. | Allows a biodiversity of plants and animals to exist. |
Trees and plants are a huge ‘carbon sink’ and store carbon that would otherwise dramatically impact our climate | Soils can filter water to remove impurities and waste. |
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Hydrological Cycle
The water cycle and biosphere interact in many ways as shown in the video. The alteration of the biosphere will impact the hydrological cycle, too. For example, in a rainforest biome, we wouldn’t expect water to be stored in glaciers or ice. It’s simply too hot for this. However, we would expect water to be stored in glaciers and/or ice in a montane biome.
The length of time the water is stored there may vary depending on conditions: in some habitats we may expect temperatures to climb high enough that any ice covering mountain tops melts during the warmer months, but this may not be true in other habitats.
- What are the services provided by the biosphere?
- Your answer should include: Water / Supply / Regulating / Atmosphere / Soil / Health
- How is the biosphere important?
- Your answer should include: Climate / Water / Goods / Services
- How do biomes regulate the water system and climate of the planet?
- Your answer should include: Hydrological / Cycle / Transpiration / Temperature / Rainfall