Talk:Ecosphere (planetary)

Needs work

I note that the article was created with the rationale "the details of a planetary ecosphere had not yet been centrally brought together under a primary topic page even though it is taught in schools around the world". The same editor added a long section at the top of Outline of Earth sciences#Earth's spheres that could be shown diagrammatically if suitable references are found. I recall that terms like hydrosphere and biosphere feature in introductory texts, but there are a few things I find unsatisfactory here, and would ask that WikiProject Environment or specialists in earth sciences check it over.

• The disambiguation page Ecosphere links to inter alia two related pages, one on biosphere and this one, but the distinction isn't clear:

• • Ecosphere (ecology) or biosphere, the global sum of all ecosystems
  • Ecosphere (planetary), a planetary closed ecological system

• This article doesn't make it clear how the terms 'biosphere' and 'ecosphere' relate to the 'global ecosystem'. The biosphere article at least clarifies that 'ecosphere' 'was coined during the 1960s and encompasses both biological and physical components of the planet', while biosphere can be all organisms, or 'includ[e] their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere' (emphasis added).
• There's a useful reference in the PDF notes which this article references: Gillard, A. 1969. On terminology of biosphere and ecosphere. Nature 223:500-501. Someone with access to that might be able to clarify.
• reference to matter 'settling' into spheres under the influence of the four fundamental forces feels a bit like original research. I'd suggest gravity is the most important force, and could wikilink to more directly relevant articles like Earth#Formation.
• I don't feel Magnetosphere really belongs here as it a lesser aspect of the Earth's properties with a minor impact on living systems and I don't recall it in the same context. I suspect it has been included mostly because of sharing a suffix.

I don't think much needs deleting as such. Biosphere and ecosphere do seem to be distinct terms, but the use and usefulness of the latter needs to be better documented. --Cedders^tk 11:10, 19 December 2016 (UTC)

"Life on Earth initially developed and continues to be sustained under the protection of this magnetic environment" NASA on 'magnetosphere'. When the poles flip, the field collapses, and this may play a [role in evolution (extinction on/off switch)]. Don't think I'd characterize these as "lesser" or "minor". NewsAndEventsGuy (talk) 12:51, 6 April 2017 (UTC)