Geoenvironment Management and Sustainability - Sustainable Practices in Geoenvironmental Engineering - page 2

Atmosphere

Includes all gases in air

interacting with
terra firma

interacting with
terra firma

Ground
surface

Ground
surface

Soil ecosphere Soil ecosphere

FIGURE 1.1
Venn diagram showing the various elements in the ive ecosphere components (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geo-
sphere, biosphere, and anthrosphere) that make up the geoenvironment.

is a signiicant part of the ecosphere. Figure 1.1 shows the various components of the eco-
sphere and their relationship to the geoenvironment. The ecosphere shown in the Venn
diagram in Figure 1.1 consists of the (a) atmosphere, (b) geosphere, which is also known as
the lithosphere, (c) hydrosphere, (d) biosphere, and (e) anthrosphere. The various elements
contributing to the attributes and features of the geoenvironment will be discussed in
Section 1.2.
Industrialization, urbanization, agriculture (food production), and natural resource
exploitation (including energy) are basic activities associated with a living and vibrant
society. We consider these basic elemental activities to be necessary to sustain life and also
to be integral to development . In general terms, we consider development to (1) embody
the many sets of activities associated with the production of goods and services; (2) relect
the economic growth of a nation, state, city, or society in general; and (3) serve as an indica-
tion of the output or result of activities associated with these four main elemental activi-
ties. Questions often arise as to how these activities are compatible with, or are in conlict
with the carrying capacity of the geoenvironment.

1.1.1 Impacts on the Geoenvironment

Almost any physical or chemical action or event that happens in the ecosphere will impact
on the geoenvironment. The question of whether these impacts will add value to or detract
from the functionality of the geoenvironment and its ecosystems highlights some of the
issues at hand. It is dificult to catalogue or list all of the impacts resulting from all the vari-
ous kinds of stresses imposed on the geoenvironment. It is not only because this cannot