Nature
About half of Earth's oxygen production comes from the ocean. Tiny Prochlorococcus bacteria account for up to 20% of global oxygen production, NOAA says.
ILLUSTRATION · AIRoughly half of global oxygen production comes from the ocean, and Prochlorococcus bacteria account for up to 20% of it, NOAA says.
Most of the ocean's oxygen production comes from plankton: drifting plants, algae and some bacteria that can photosynthesize. Prochlorococcus bacteria, the smallest photosynthetic organisms on Earth, account for up to 20% of global oxygen production.
NOAA notes that roughly the same amount of oxygen the ocean produces is consumed by marine life, and that the exact percentage is hard to calculate because it is constantly changing.
SourcesEvery claim traced
- Tier 1 · Primary
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