Phytoplankton Produce Half the Oxygen We Breathe
Microscopic plant-like organisms drifting in sunlit surface waters perform photosynthesis on a planetary scale, releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Their total output rivals all the forests on land combined.
💡 Fun detail:
Each year these tiny drifters also absorb roughly as much carbon dioxide as all human activities emit, acting as Earth’s invisible lungs.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory