oxygen cycle
Breathing element's circulation
The oxygen cycle is the continuous movement of oxygen through Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.
Plants release oxygen through photosynthesis; animals consume it through respiration; decay and combustion remove it from the air.
The cycle maintains the atmospheric balance that supports life: The oxygen cycle connects every breathing organism to every green plant.
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
- carbon dioxideRespiration byproduct, photosynthesis fuel
- gas exchangeTransfer of respiratory molecules
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- breathingPulmonary gas exchange
deep breath · fresh air · plants · plant life · lungs · green lungs · exhale · inhale · ozone · algae · trees · rain forest · cellular · air · forests · ocean · ocean life · plankton
- biogeochemistrymineralization, nitrification, denitrification, nitrogen fixation, carbon sequestration
- OxygenO2, oxide, dioxide, monoxide, peroxide
- Earth systemsbiosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, geosphere
- biogeochemical cyclesbiogeochemistry, mineralization, evaporation, precipitation
- gasesgas, air, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen
- cyclescircle of life, period, rhythms, oscillations, full circle
oxygen cyclecarbon cycle
Biogeochemical element circulation process
nitrogen cycle · water cycle · carbon sequestration · rock cycle
oxygen cycleoxygen depletion
Removal of breathable gas
deoxygenation · oxygen consumption · anoxia · carbon sequestration · hypoxia
oxygen, cycle, oxygenate, oxygenated, oxygenation, oxidize, oxidation, oxidant, cycles