Biosphere Day

Models of Biosphere Processes

Reconnecting to the biosphere.

Humanity has emerged as a major force in the operation of the biosphere, with a significant imprint on the Earth System, challenging social-ecological resilience. This new situation calls for a fundamental shift in perspectives, world views, and institutions. Human development and progress must be reconnected to the capacity of the biosphere and essential ecosystem services to be sustained. Gov...

Bioengineering the biosphere?

SFI Working Papers contain accounts of scienti5ic work of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Santa Fe Institute. We accept papers intended for publication in peer-­‐reviewed journals or proceedings volumes, but not papers that have already appeared in print. Except for papers by our external faculty, papers must be based on work done at SFI, inspired by an invited v...

Multiple atmosphere-biosphere steady states

Multiple steady-states in the terrestrial atmosphere-biosphere system: a result of a discrete vegetation classification? A. Kleidon, K. Fraedrich, and C. Low Biospheric Theory and Modelling Group, Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Postfach 10 01 24, 07701 Jena, Germany Meteorologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstr. 55, 20146 Hamburg, Germany Department of Geography, University o...

Early Biosphere: Origin and Evolution

We argue that the process of the origin and evolution of living organisms is indivisible from the process of the origin and evolution of biosphere, the global planetary system. The most general features of biosphere evolution as a directed process are formulated in the principle of “bio-actualism”. It is demonstrated, that this principle, stated for Phanerozoic eon, hold for early biosphere up ...