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The oxygen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle of oxygen atoms between different oxidation states in ions, oxides, and molecules through redox reactions within and between the spheres/reservoirs of the planet Earth. [1] The word oxygen in the literature typically refers to the most common oxygen allotrope, elemental/diatomic oxygen (O 2), as it ...
Oxygen is the third most abundant chemical element in the universe, after hydrogen and helium.[67] About 0.9% of the Sun's mass is oxygen.[18] Oxygen constitutes 49.2% of the Earth's crustby mass[68]as part of oxide compounds such as silicon dioxideand is the most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust.
Geological history of oxygen. O 2 build-up in the Earth's atmosphere. Red and green lines represent the range of the estimates while time is measured in billions of years ago (Ga). Stage 1 (3.85–2.45 Ga): Practically no O 2 in the atmosphere. Stage 2 (2.45–1.85 Ga): O 2 produced, but absorbed in oceans and seabed rock.
Oxygen evolution. Oxygen evolution is the process of generating molecular oxygen (O 2) by a chemical reaction, usually from water. Oxygen evolution from water is effected by oxygenic photosynthesis, electrolysis of water, and thermal decomposition of various oxides. The biological process supports aerobic life.
To use this stored chemical energy, an organism's cells metabolize the organic compounds through cellular respiration. Photosynthesis plays a critical role in producing and maintaining the oxygen content of the Earth's atmosphere, and it supplies most of the biological energy necessary for complex life on Earth.
The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) or Great Oxygenation Event, also called the Oxygen Catastrophe, Oxygen Revolution, Oxygen Crisis or Oxygen Holocaust, [2] was a time interval during the Earth 's Paleoproterozoic era when the Earth's atmosphere and shallow seas first experienced a rise in the concentration of free oxygen. [3]
Limnetic zone. The limnetic zone is the open and well-lit area of a freestanding body of fresh water, such as a lake or pond. Not included in this area is the littoral zone, which is the shallow, near-shore area of the water body. The key difference between the littoral zone and the limnetic zone is the presence of rooted plant growth. [1]
There are three known stable isotopes of oxygen (8 O): 16O, 17O, and 18O. Radioactive isotopes ranging from 11O to 28O have also been characterized, all short-lived. The longest-lived radioisotope is 15O with a half-life of 122.266 (43) s, while the shortest-lived isotope is the unbound 11O with a half-life of 198 (12) yoctoseconds, though half ...