How Plants and Phytoplankton Make the World's Oxygen

Next Generation Science

This educational video provides a clear and comparative explanation of photosynthesis, demonstrating how the process occurs both on land in plants and in the ocean through phytoplankton. It begins by illustrating the familiar mechanism of photosynthesis in trees, breaking down the chemical inputs of sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, and the outputs of glucose and oxygen. The focus then shifts to the ocean to introduce phytoplankton, describing these microscopic organisms as the "forests of the sea" that perform the same critical function underwater.