The biosphere in times of global urbanization

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky introduced the concept of the biosphere into Geochemistry. This sphere comprises the biological processes responsible for the distribution of chemical elements on Earth. Already when Vernadsky developed the concept of the biosphere he was aware of the important impact human beings have on the distribution of chemical elements in the Earth's system. However, since that time the meaning of human beings for the global element fluxes dramatically increased that becomes visible in the enormous urbanization process the Earth currently is facing. In this scientific-philosophical assay contributed to the 150th anniversary of the birthday of Vernadsky, the process of urbanization is discussed from the view point of the biosphere. Today, more than half of the world's population lives in urban systems, and this portion is growing. Urbanization has become a geological factor since the need for geological resources for urbanization is shaping the Earth's surface and relocating chemical elements on a global scale. Since human beings are part of Vernadsky's biosphere also urban systems are part of the biosphere. This human induced development of the biosphere caused subspheres such as the agrosphere and the astysphere, the first comprises fluxes of chemical elements due to agricultural activities, the second refers to fluxes caused by urban systems. With the progress of the global urbanization the astysphere will expand its influence. This is accompanied by severe consequences for the global environment such as the climate change. According to Vernadsky, the scientific thought of societal man is transforming the biosphere into the noosphere. This noosphere describes the fluxes of chemical elements when human ideas and inventions become realized. Thus, goal-oriented human processes such as urbanization and management of environmental challenges caused by global urbanization and climate change accelerating the extension of the noosphere. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.