The ecosphere is a global ecosystem.
The concept of ecosphere is not part of the dictionary prepared by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). However, the term is usually used to refer to all of the Earth 's ecosystems .
A global ecosystem
The ecosphere, or ecosphere (with an accent on the E), is a unit made up of all living beings and habitats on the planet . The biosphere , hydrosphere , geosphere and atmosphere are among its components.
The ecosphere is understood, in short, as a global ecosystem . Therefore, all the organisms that inhabit the Earth are interrelated, either indirectly or directly, in the ecosphere.
Biodiversity is integrated into the ecosphere. Life in it is possible thanks to solar energy , which constitutes its main energy resource.
The American Kenneth Stewart Cole (1900-1984) is identified as the person responsible for coining the notion of ecosphere. As the years went by, the idea mutated and forged other meanings.
Globus Cassus
A project that aims to transform our planet into an artificial world with a much larger, hollow volume that houses an ecosphere inside is known as Globus Cassus . This is a utopia project, since it represents a potential future life for our species in better and more favorable conditions than those currently available.
In its design there are two immense windows through which sunlight could enter. Regarding gravity, thanks to the centrifugal force it would not be lost. The creation of two large regions for humans is planned, located one on each side of a connecting road in the center. Globus Cassus is considered the antipode of the Earth, that is, the part of its surface that is at the opposite point from a diametric perspective.
This project represents a philosophical model to describe our planet in an inverted way, while allowing us to understand how the real world works. It was proposed by Christian Waldvogel , an artist and architect, in 2004, including a detailed description of the entire construction process and various proposals for the organization. The Earth's matter would be completely used.
According to NASA
NASA , on the other hand, called a closed ecosystem that develops as an experiment an ecosphere. The goal is to create a kind of miniature planet, with biological activity that is carried out in isolation. It should be noted that it was an unprecedented research project.
These ecospheres are complete representations of the world, which can be easily managed and are self-sufficient. They are housed in a glass sphere and need external light so that the biological cycle can take place. NASA tests showed that as long as you maintain balance, you can live in harmony .
NASA ecospheres are complete representations of our world.
Since it is a self-sustaining ecosystem, it is not necessary to provide food for the species of animals and plants that inhabit it, such as red shrimp , algae and active microorganisms. All of them, and others, feed naturally in the seawater at their disposal, just as if they were outside, outside the experiment. An important detail to add is that the ecosphere does not cause any type of pollution in our environment, since it is completely closed.
Ecospheres, in this framework, provide valuable data about life on Earth . But they also allow us to obtain important knowledge for space exploration and to think about possible colonies that can be established beyond the confines of the earth.