Environmental Physics

Abstract

In this article, environmental physics is defined as the branch of physics concerned with the measurement and analysis of interactions between organisms and their environment. Most commonly, the organisms are plants and animals, and the environment is the atmospheric or soil environment in which they are surrounded. The term physics is derived from the Greek word meaning “knowledge of nature.” Its precursor, natural philosophy, dating back to the ancient Greeks, involved quantitative reasoning and explanations of natural processes. University departments of natural philosophy existed until well into the 20th century (e.g., at the University of Edinburgh, this author’s alma mater), so environmental physics has a well-established ancient heritage. Physics uses observations, experiments, and mathematical analyses to find quantitative physical laws that apply at all scales. The study of environmental physics requires an understanding of (mostly) classical physics but frequently also draws on knowledge of environmental physiology, that is, how living organisms function and respond to the environment. Environmental physics is often concerned with analyzing interactions in which the environment modifies an organism’s responses, and those responses modify the surrounding environment through feedback processes. Consequently, progress in environmental physics is often made through collaboration between physicists, biologists, atmospheric scientists, and soil scientists.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1093/obo/9780199363445-0075

Journal

Environmental Science

Year

2017