Oxygen Cycle Analysis - Essay Example

Photosynthesis, a process through which plants produce their food with the help of sunlight, is the process that replenishes oxygen in the atmosphere. Photosynthesis is the only natural process that produces oxygen to cover its shortage due to respiration and human energy needs. Large forests constantly produce oxygen and maintain their balance in the environment. Photosynthesis not only occurs on land but also in the seas and oceans, where marine plants produce oxygen not only for marine life but also of land creatures (Cloud and Gibor, 1970).

Estimates by walker (1980) suggest that the annual gain in oxygen, as the result of photosynthesis, is about 30,000 X 1010 Kg. Which, 16,500 X 1010 Kg is the gain in oxygen due to land photosynthesis, while; 13,500 X 1010 Kg gain in oxygen due to oceanic photosynthesis. Other processes like the photolysis of nitrogen dioxide and water also contribute to producing oxygen. However, the contribution of both the photolysis processes is very little compared to that of photosynthesis (Walker, 1980).