The earth's biosphere: evolution, dynamics, and change

1. Evolution of the idea : from Vernadsky to a science of the global environment

2. Life in the universe : attributes, constraints, and probabilities

3. Life's diversity and resilience : metabolisms, species, catastrophes

4. Energizing the biosphere : solar radiation and the Earth's heat

5. Water and material flows : biospheric cycles

6. The biosphere's extent : the moveable boundaries

7. The biosphere's mass and productivity : quantifying life's presence and performance

8. The biosphere's dynamics and organization : fundamental rules and grand patterns

9. Civilization and the biosphere : the Earth transformed by human action

10. Epilogue.

1. Evolution of the idea : from Vernadsky to a science of the global environment

2. Life in the universe : attributes, constraints, and probabilities

3. Life's diversity and resilience : metabolisms, species, catastrophes

4. Energizing the biosphere : solar radiation and the Earth's heat

5. Water and material flows : biospheric cycles

6. The biosphere's extent : the moveable boundaries

7. The biosphere's mass and productivity : quantifying life's presence and performance

8. The biosphere's dynamics and organization : fundamental rules and grand patterns

9. Civilization and the biosphere : the Earth transformed by human action

10. Epilogue.