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Oxygenic photosynthesis is the main source of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, and its earliest appearance is sometimes referred to as the oxygen catastrophe. Geological evidence suggests that oxygenic photosynthesis, such as that in cyanobacteria , became important during the Paleoproterozoic era around two billion years ago.
In oxygenic photosynthesis, water (H 2 O) serves as a substrate for photolysis resulting in the generation of diatomic oxygen (O 2). This is the process which returns oxygen to Earth's atmosphere. Photolysis of water occurs in the thylakoids of cyanobacteria and the chloroplasts of green algae and plants. [3]
While there are many abiotic sources and sinks for O 2, the presence of the profuse concentration of free oxygen in modern Earth's atmosphere and ocean is attributed to O 2 production from the biological process of oxygenic photosynthesis in conjunction with a biological sink known as the biological pump and a geologic process of carbon burial involving plate tectonics.
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. It extends from Earth's surface to an average height of about 12 km (7.5 mi; 39,000 ft), although this altitude varies from about 9 km (5.6 mi; 30,000 ft) at the geographic poles to 17 km (11 mi; 56,000 ft) at the Equator, [23] with some variation due
Photosynthetic oxygen evolution is the fundamental process by which oxygen is generated in the earth's biosphere. The reaction is part of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria and the chloroplasts of green algae and plants. It utilizes the energy of light to split a water molecule into its protons and electrons for ...
Fine dust thrown up into Earth’s atmosphere after an asteroid strike 66 million years ago blocked the sun to an extent that plants were unable to photosynthesize, a new study has found.
Without the presence of ecosystem respiration throughout earth's systems, it is safe to say the basic idea of "life" would be lost. Prior to these processes in earth's early years of formation, the air and oceans were anoxic. [7] An anoxic environment is one without the presence of oxygen, majorly consisting of anaerobic microbes.
The discovery that GJ 1132b has an atmosphere is a key step in the search for life outside our solar system. Scientists confirm 'Earth-like' planet with atmosphere discovered 39 light-years from Earth