Earth Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Life on Earth == {{Main|Biosphere|History of life}} [[File:Mollweide Cycle.gif|thumb|upright=1.3|An animation of the changing density of [[primary production|productive]] vegetation on land (low in brown; heavy in dark green) and phytoplankton at the [[ocean surface]] (low in purple; high in yellow)]] Earth is the only known place that has ever been [[Planetary habitability|habitable]] for life. Earth's life developed in Earth's early bodies of water some hundred million years after Earth formed. Earth's life has been shaping and inhabiting many particular [[ecosystem]]s on Earth and has eventually expanded globally forming an overarching biosphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biosphere/ |title=Biosphere |first1=Kim|last1=Rutledge|display-authors=et al|date=24 June 2011|work=National Geographic|access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref> Therefore, life has impacted Earth, significantly altering Earth's atmosphere and surface over long periods of time, causing changes like the [[Great Oxidation Event]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA Astrobiology Institute |url=https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/articles/2019/3/5/clues-of-earths-early-rise-of-oxygen/index.html |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=astrobiology.nasa.gov}}</ref> Earth's life has over time greatly diversified, allowing the biosphere to have different [[biome]]s, which are inhabited by comparatively similar plants and animals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zmyj6sg/revision/3 |title=Interdependency between animal and plant species |page=3 |work=[[BBC Bitesize]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=28 June 2019}}</ref> The different biomes developed at distinct elevations or [[Ocean depths|water depths]], planetary temperature [[latitude]]s and on land also with different [[humidity]]. [[Latitudinal gradients in species diversity|Earth's species diversity]] and [[Biomass (ecology)|biomass]] reaches a peak in shallow waters and with [[tropical rainforest|forests, particularly in equatorial, warm and humid conditions]]. While freezing [[Polar regions of Earth|polar regions]] and [[Alpine tundra|high altitudes]], or [[desert|extremely arid areas]] are relatively barren of plant and animal life.<ref name="amnat163_2_192" /> Earth provides liquid water—an environment where complex [[Organic compound|organic molecules]] can assemble and interact, and sufficient energy to sustain a [[metabolism]].<ref name="ab2003" /> Plants and other organisms take up [[nutrient]]s from water, soils and the atmosphere. These nutrients are constantly recycled between different species.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Singh|first1=J. S.|author-link1=Jamuna Sharan Singh|last2=Singh|first2=S. P.|author-link2=S. P. Singh (biochemist) |last3=Gupta |first3=S.R. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/896866658|title=Ecology environmental science and conservation|publisher=S. Chand & Company |year=2013 |isbn=978-93-83746-00-2 |edition=First |location=New Delhi|oclc=896866658}}</ref>[[File:Desert_Electric.jpg|thumb|A High Desert storm, sweeps across the Mojave]] Extreme weather, such as [[tropical cyclone]]s (including [[hurricane]]s and [[typhoon]]s), occurs over most of Earth's surface and has a large impact on life in those areas. From 1980 to 2000, these events caused an average of 11,800 human deaths per year.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oceans and Human Health|first1=Sharon|last1=Smith|author-link=Sharon L. Smith|first2=Lora |last2=Fleming|first3=Helena|last3=Solo-Gabriele|first4=William H.|last4=Gerwick|publisher=Elsevier Science|year= 2011|isbn=978-0-08-087782-2|page=212}}</ref> Many places are subject to earthquakes, [[landslide]]s, [[tsunami]]s, volcanic eruptions, [[tornado]]es, [[blizzard]]s, floods, droughts, [[wildfire]]s, and other calamities and disasters.<ref>{{cite book|title=Natural Disasters|last1=Alexander|first1=David|page=3|year=1993|url={{GBurl|id=wnt0DwAAQBAJ|q=Natural Disasters|pg=PT11}} |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-317-93881-1}}</ref> Human impact is felt in many areas due to pollution of the air and water, [[acid rain]], loss of vegetation ([[overgrazing]], [[deforestation]], [[desertification]]), loss of wildlife, species [[extinction]], [[soil degradation]], [[soil depletion]] and [[erosion]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=52, 66, 69, 137, 142, 185, 202, 355, 366|title=The Human Impact on the Natural Environment |last1=Goudie |first1=Andrew|author-link1=Andrew Goudie (geographer) |year=2000|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-57138-8}}</ref> Human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which cause [[global warming]].<ref name=ConsensusOnConsensus>{{Cite journal | first1=John | last1=Cook | first2=Naomi | last2=Oreskes | author2-link=Naomi Oreskes | first3=Peter T. | last3=Doran | author3-link=Peter Doran | first4=William R. L. | last4=Anderegg | first5=Bart | last5=Verheggen | first6=Ed W | last6=Maibach | author6-link=Edward Maibach | first7=J. Stuart | last7=Carlton | first8=Stephan | last8=Lewandowsky | author8-link=Stephan Lewandowsky | first9=Andrew G. | last9=Skuce | first10=Sarah A. | last10=Green | first11=Dana | last11=Nuccitelli | first12=Peter | last12=Jacobs | first13=Mark | last13=Richardson | first14=Bärbel | last14=Winkler | first15=Rob | last15=Painting | first16=Ken | last16=Rice | date=2016 |title=Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming|journal=Environmental Research Letters |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |page=048002 |doi=10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002 |bibcode=2016ERL....11d8002C |issn=1748-9326|doi-access=free| hdl=1983/34949783-dac1-4ce7-ad95-5dc0798930a6 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> This is driving [[Effects of climate change|changes]] such as the [[Retreat of glaciers since 1850|melting of glaciers and ice sheets]], a [[Sea level rise|global rise in average sea levels]], increased risk of drought and wildfires, and migration of species to colder areas.<ref name="Global Warming Effects">{{Cite web|date=14 January 2019|title=Global Warming Effects|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118014716/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2017|access-date=16 September 2020|website=National Geographic|language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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