Advertisement
Published in:
2010 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Anthroposphere
Authors : A. Kuhn, T. Heckelei
Published in: Impacts of Global Change on the Hydrological Cycle in West and Northwest Africa
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.
Select sections of text to find matching patents with Artificial Intelligence. powered by
Select sections of text to find additional relevant content using AI-assisted search. powered by
The anthroposphere may be defined as the part of the environment that is made or modified by humans. Put differently, the anthroposphere is the sphere of the earth system or its subsystems where human activities constitute a significant source of change through the use and subsequent transformation of natural resources, as well as through the deposition of waste and emissions. Since the end of the 18
th
century, population growth and the technology advances have made humans the dominant drivers of change to the earth system as a whole and most of its subsystems (Crutzen 2002)
1
. In low- and middle-income countries, human activities are still heavily based on the use of natural resources, renewable or non-renewable. The cultural habits, technological knowledge, and preferences determine the state and change of regional anthropospheres.