Abstract
In this brief communication we provide an estimate of the part of the incident solar energy used for oxygen evolution as well as the time, in years, needed for the generation of the present amount of molecular oxygen in the biosphere by photosynthesis on land and in the ocean. We find this to be ≈3,000 yr. We also find that the ocean produces 22% more oxygen than the land surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Abbreviations
- NPP:
-
net primary production
References
Albarrán-Zavala E., Angulo-Brown F.: A simple thermodynamic analysis of photosynthesis.–Entropy 9: 152–168, 2007.
Behrenfeld M.J., Randerson J.T., McClain C.R. et al.: Biospheric primary production during an ENSO transition.–Science 291: 2594–2597, 2001.
Björn L.O., Govindjee: The evolution of photosynthesis and its environmental impact.–In: Björn L.O. (ed.): Photobiology: The Science of Light and Life. Pp. 207–229. Springer Science+ Business Media, New York 2015.
Blankenship R.E.: Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis, 2nd ed. Pp. 312. Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken 2014.
Borisov A.Y.: Photosynthesizing organisms: converters of solar energy.–In: Barber J. (ed.): Photosynthesis in Relation to Model Systems. Pp 1–26. Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam–New York–Oxford 1979.
Brown C.W., Uz S.S., Corliss B.H.: Seasonality of oceanic primary production and its interannual variability from 1998 to 2007.–Deep-Sea Res. 190: 166–175, 2014.
Budyko M.I., Ronov A.B., Yanshin A.L.: History of the Earth’s Atmosphere. Pp. 139. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 1987.
Demmig-Adams B., Garab G., Adams III W., Govindjee (ed.): Non-Photochemical Quenching and Energy Dissipation In Plants, Algae and Cyanobacteria, Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration Including Bioenergy and Other Processes, Vol. 40. Pp. 649. Springer, Dordrecht 2014.
Domalski E.S.: Selected values of heats of combustion and heats of formation of organic compounds containing the elements C, H, N, O, P, and S.–J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 1: 221–277, 1972.
Escobedo J.F., Gomes E.N., Oliveira A.P., Soares J.: Ratios of UV, PAR and NIR components to global solar radiation measured at Botucatu site in Brazil.–Renew. Energ. 36: 169–178, 2011.
Falkowski P., Raven J.: Aquatic Photosynthesis, 2nd ed. Pp. 484. Princton University Press, Princeton 2007.
Field C.B., Behrenfeld M.J., Randerson J.T., Falkowski, P.: Primary production of the biosphere: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components.–Science 281: 237–240, 1998.
Fischer W.W., Hemp J., Johnson J.E.: Evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis.–Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 44: 647–683, 2016.
Fröhlich C.: Observation of irradiance variations.–Space Sci. Rev. 94: 15–24, 2000.
Huston M.A., Wolverton S.: The global distribution of net primary production: resolving the paradox.–Ecol. Monogr. 79: 343–377, 2009.
Keeling R.F.: Development of an Interferometric Oxygen Analyzer for Precise Measurement of the Atmospheric O2 Mole Fraction. Pp. 178.–PhD Thesis, Harvard University, Harvard 1988a.
Keeling R.F.: Measuring correlations between atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide mole fractions: A preliminary study in urban air.–J. Atm. Chem. 7: 153–l76, 1988b.
Keeling R.F., Najjar R.P., Bender M.L., Tans P.P.: What atmos pheric oxygen measurements can tell us about the global car bon cycle.–Global Biogeochem. Cy. 7: 37–67, 1993.
Keeling R.F., Garcia H.E.: The change in oceanic O2 inventory associated with recent global warming–P. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99: 7848–7853, 2002.
Knox R.S.: Thermodynamics and the primary processes of photosynthesis.–Biophys. J. 9: 1351–1362, 1969.
Kopp G., Lean J.L.: A new, lower value of total solar irradiance: Evidence and climate significance.–Geophys. Res. Lett. 38: L01706, 2011.
Livina V.N., Vaz Martins T.M., Forbes A.B.: Tipping point analysis of atmospheric oxygen concentration.–Chaos 25: 036403, 2015.
Long M.C., Deutsch C, Ito T.: Finding forced trends in oceanic oxygen.–Glob. Biogeochem. Cycl. 30: 381–397, 2015.
McCree K.J.: The action spectrum, absorptance and quantum yield of photosynthesis in crop plants.–Agric. Meteorol. 9: 191–216, 1972.
Mecherikunnel A.T., Richmond J.C.: Spectral distribution of solar radiation. NASA Report TM 82021. Pp. 86. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt 1980.
Miller D.P., de Pablo J.J.: Calorimetric solution properties of simple saccharides and their significance for the stabilization of biological structure and function.–J. Phys. Chem. B 104: 8876–8883, 2000.
Nemani R.R., Keeling C.D., Hashimoto H. et al.: Climate-driven increases in global terrestrial net primary production from 1982 to 1999.–Science 300: 1560–1563, 2003.
Paradiso R., Meinen E,. Snel J.F.H. et al.: Spectral dependence of photosynthesis and light absorptance in single leaves and canopy in rose.–Sci. Hortic.-Amsterdam 127: 548–554, 2011.
Rabinowitch E., Govindjee: Photosynthesis. Pp. 273. John Wiley & Sons, New York 1969.
Running S.W., Zhao M.: User’s guide daily GPP and annual NPP (MOD17A2/A3) products NASA Earth Observing System MODIS land algorithm. http://www.academia.edu/4620715/Users_Guide_GPP_and_NPP_MOD17A2_A3_Products_NA SA_MODIS_Land_Algorithm, 2015.
Running S.W., Nemani R.R., Heinsch F.A. et al: A continuous satellite-derived measure of global terrestrial primary production.–BioScience 54: 547–560, 2004.
Sirignano C., Neubert R.E.M., Rödenbeck C., Meijer H.A.J.: Atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide observations from two European coastal stations 2000–2005: continental influence, trend changes and APO climatology.–Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10: 1599–1615, 2010.
Skulachev V.R.: Bioenergetics: the evolution of molecular mechanisms and the development of bioenergetic concepts.–Anton. Leeuw. 65: 271–284, 1994.
Yu H., Chin M., Yuan T. et al.: The fertilizing role of African dust in the Amazon rainforest: A first multiyear assessment based on data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations.–Geophys. Res. Lett. 42: 1984–1991, 2015.
Zagoni M.: A new diagram of Earth’s global energy budget.–Acta Geod. Geophys. 51: 481–492, 2016.
Zhao M., Running S., Heinsch F.A., Nemani R.: MODIS-derived terrestrial primary production.–In: Ramachandran B., Justice C.O., Abrams J. (ed.): Land Remote Sensing and Global Environmental Change Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing. Pp. 635–660. Springer, New York 2011.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Acknowledgements: In celebration of our good friend Govindjee’s 85th birthday on October 24, 2017. In our view, Govindjee is the unique symbol and banner of PHOTOSYNTHESIS of our days. His infectious enthusiasm, and service to the photosynthesis community is unmatched. And, his research and teaching contributions have surpassed most of the grand masters of our time.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borisov, A.Y., Björn, L.O. On oxygen production by photosynthesis: A viewpoint. Photosynthetica 56, 44–47 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-017-0738-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-017-0738-8