In everyday language stability simply refers to a condition of being stable or of being steady or constant. However, when used in a physical sense, it is defined as the state of being ‘in stable equilibrium as measured by the force with which a body tends to maintain its condition of rest or steady motion’ (Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of the English Language, p. 1218). This meaning acknowledges the internal properties of a body, the quality of such properties, and their ability to respond to external forces. In the environment the concept of stability must consider both these properties and also the various spatial and temporal scales which provide the context for the unit under investigation. Issues of environmental stability can be addressed at any spatial scale from the global to that of a single ecosystem. Stability can also be evaluated in individual components of these systems, such as the climatic component at the global scale, the biotic at the regional scale, and...
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Moss, M.R. (1999). Environmental stability . In: Environmental Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_126
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_126
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