biosphere

[bahy-uh-sfeer] /ˈbaɪ əˌsfɪər/
noun
1.
the part of the earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.
2.
the ecosystem comprising the entire earth and the living organisms that inhabit it.
Origin
1895-1900; < German Biosphäre; see bio-, -sphere
Related forms
biospheric
[bahy-uh-sfer-ik] /ˌbaɪ əˈsfɛr ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
Can be confused
biosphere, ecology, ecosystem, environment, habitat.
Examples from the web for biosphere
  • The biosphere is that layer around the earth which holds life.
  • Our biosphere may be finite, but it varies considerably and its potential size is unknown.
  • All told, water accounts for more than 95 percent of the biosphere.
  • Indeed, plants likely created Earth's life-friendly oxygen- and nitrogen-rich biosphere.
  • Radioactive pollutants now in the biosphere will be found there for generations.
  • Colleges and universities can only thrive if society and the biosphere are healthy.
  • Three recent books examine the dismal future that we have created for ourselves, our descendants, and the rest of the biosphere.
  • Each species is an integral component of a biosphere to which we are inextricably connected.
  • Atomic energy provided a new means of studying—even of changing— life processes and the surrounding biosphere.
  • All across this planet there are intensive and extensive attacks on the biosphere.
British Dictionary definitions for biosphere

biosphere

/ˈbaɪəˌsfɪə/
noun
1.
the part of the earth's surface and atmosphere inhabited by living things
Word Origin and History for biosphere
n.

1899, on model of German Biosphäre (1875), coined by German geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914); see bio- + sphere.

biosphere in Medicine

biosphere bi·o·sphere (bī'ə-sfēr')
n.

  1. All the regions of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms are found or can live.

  2. The living organisms and their environment composing the biosphere.

bi'o·spher'ic (-sfēr'ĭk, -sfěr'-) adj.
biosphere in Science
biosphere
  (bī'ə-sfîr')   

  1. The parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to live. The biosphere is an irregularly shaped, relatively thin zone in which life is concentrated on or near the Earth's surface and throughout its waters.

  2. All the Earth's ecosystems considered as a single, self-sustaining unit.


biosphere in Culture
biosphere [(beye-uh-sfeer)]

The thin outer shell of the Earth and the inner layers of its atmosphere; the place where all living systems are found.