Biosphere (Introduction)

The Planet Earth along with its living organisms and atmosphere (air, land, and water), which sustains life, is known as the Biosphere. The biosphere extends vertically into the atmosphere to about 10Km, downward into the ocean to depth of about 35,000ft, and into about 23,000ft. of the earth surface itself where living organisms have been found. The biosphere, a thin shell that encapsulates the earth, is made up of the atmosphere (a mixture of gases extending outward from the surface of the earth), lithosphere (the soil mantle that wraps the core of the earth) the hydrosphere (consists of the oceans, the lakes and streams, and the shallow ground water bodies that inter-flow with the surface water.