A significant portion of Earth’s atmosphere exists solely as a result of the action of photosynthesis. This process creates energy by splitting apart chemical bonds in organic compounds such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose to create energy molecules called ketones.
These ketones join with other gas elements in the atmosphere to form trace amounts of many other molecules. These include oxygen, argon, and nitrogen (which are sometimes referred to as the “base” gases).
Of these four elements, only one is not found in pure form in the atmosphere: phos-n-o-ic acid. This rare element is part of several different compounds, all of which play important roles in Earth’s chemistry.
This article will focus on those rarer components that are found in simple nested systems within Earth’s chemistry.
Water
About one-fourth of all matter in the universe is water, and nearly all matter has water as a component.
Earth is mostly water, as are most bodies of water. Mars is almost entirely dry because of its distance from the Sun and its limited seasons.
We call the stuff we find in our oceans, seas, and lakes waters, but they aren’t completely surrounded by a skin that keeps water from evaporating away.
Instead, they have to rely on rain or snow to replenish it. That doesn’t mean that waters aren’t important parts of the Earth system — they are! — it just means that they don’t exist in vast quantities like on land where rivers and lakes flow out of huge evaporation channels called aquifers.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a key ingredient in the evolution of life. Without it, it would be impossible to breathe or to move.
Many lifeforms use hydrogen for energy, but humans do not rely on hydrogen as easily as other lifeforms. This is because we cannot store it and use it for energy, but only can use it when it is available.
Some water-based lifeforms have used hydrogen for fuel, but humans have no need for that today. Our modern world has enough problems with whether or not we can consume sufficient amounts of food and water that we should not spend too much time on this topic.
Today, most of the world’s hydrogen comes from fossil fuels. However, our ability to produce hydrogen still matters today because new technologies are emerging that do not require fossil fuels.
Nitrogen
As mentioned earlier, plants use the energy from sunlight to make proteins and carbohydrates. These materials are called carbon compounds because they are parts of carbon dioxide and dust inside the atmosphere called carbon.
Without these materials, plants would not grow. Because of this, almost all living things on Earth depend on nitrogen for their growth.
N-rich compounds play a big role in the atmosphere as nitrogen gas. As weather changes dispersed N-rich air particles into the atmosphere, it serves as a natural fertilization for crops and other plants.
Carbon dioxide
About one-third of all oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere is found in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). This percentage is higher near the Earth’s surface, where it accounts for about one percent of the total atmospheric nitrogen.
CO2 is a very common element, found in many compounds including vitamins and minerals. It is also present in small amounts in human blood and brain tissue, but this does not affect its effect on plants.
Because plants use sunlight to power their growth, too little or too much CO2 can be problematic for them. When there are fewer plants to take up space and store energy from sunlight, it can lead to less fullness and therefore insufficient growth.
Because of this, we see that places with more CO2 are generally larger than those with less. This may be an adaptation to needing more space to store energy for growth.
Plants need the components of the atmosphere in order to carry out photosynthesis
While most people talk about the sun when it comes to requiring atmospheric oxygen, few think of the plants that require it.
However, without sufficient amounts of oxygen, plants cannot carry out their photosynthesis. As you might know, oxygen is a critical component of life, including that of plants.
It is also important for animals to breathe and for weather-causing particles to move around instead of staying in one place. As you can imagine, having enough of this component is not an easy task for plants.
There are three primary components that make up the atmospheric oxygen: ozone, fluorosulfuric compounds, and sulfate aerosols. All three exist in unusually high quantities within the Earth’s atmosphere during certain times of the year.
Because these substances exist in unusually high numbers during those times of year, they come down in sufficient amounts to supply plants with adequate levels of this component.
Plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis
Plants use oxygen as a byproduct of their photosynthesis. This is accomplished via two methods:Producing oxygen is a process that takes time. It starts when plants take in water and nutrients in the soil, then it processes the water into oxygen and other fluids for use by plants.
It takes about six months for the plant to produce enough oxygen for all its cells, including its roots, to consume it. During this period, you can see it keeping a glass tube or vase full of water on its patio or porch where people can see it.
This is because during this period of time, people are very conscious of any harmful fumes coming from the plant as it grows. You do not want to let anything detrimental touch the plant, because then it would need to produce more O2 which would help fight against any harmful factors.
Plants produce water as a byproduct of photosynthesis
As plants use their solar energy to grow, they also obtain water by using the force of sunlight on the leaves and branches they’re connected to. This water is a valuable resource that helps them survive and function.
To obtain enough water for their growing plant cells, many plants require moisture during their dry periods. This is why some plants have rainwater collection systems or how some trees obtain water through condensation.
Since most plants do not begin producing water until around six months after they are established, it can be a challenging task to keep tabs on. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent dry spells as well as learn more about them if they occur.
Plants reduce carbon dioxide into sugar and release oxygen gas
As described in this article, plants use the process of photosynthesis to reduce carbon dioxide into sugar and release oxygen gas. This happens through complex processes called reactions.
These are similar to the different molecules that combine to form compounds in our own body when we use the solar energy from photons to run our bodies cells.
The reactions that take place during photosynthesis consist of a sun-splitting reaction, a carbon-dioxide reaction, and an oxygen reaction. Each of these happens in a different place, with different levels of intensity, and with different times for completion.
The total amount of carbon dioxide that plants remove from the atmosphere depends on how much water is present in the soil where they grow. As this article states, most plants do not require access to water when they are growing. However, if they do not begin removing this gas before it becomes too dry out, then it can add up over time.
