(604) 761-5640
Back to Blog

Value of Algae in Creating Oxygen Everywhere

13 December 2014 by ROTban Services Corp.

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. You probably owe this breath of fresh air to the algae. That’s right. People don’t think about the oxygen they breathe and where it comes from. It is simply there. If asked, about the source of oxygen on Earth, you will probably say without a second thought “the forests and plants.” Of course, this is an undeniable fact. In reality, huge amount comes from the oceans. The greenery cannot be only found on land.  Marine plants and algae in particular are producing between 70 % – 80% of the oxygen on the planet. Plus they can impact the ocean’s clearance rate.

Algae are not the usual seaweed that you see when you go at the beach. They are a collection of tiny single – celled microorganisms that resemble plants. Algae play an important role in the underwater food chain. The most beneficial environment for these organisms is the areas where the cold and nutrient water from the bottom mixes the warmer one from the surface. This is the perfect liquid fertilizer. The algae live and grow in water, but they can evolve in damp soil.  Combined with fungi they create lichens. More than 7,000 different spices of algae are existent on our planet.   There are three basic types depending on their colour – red, green and brown. The microalgae that are drifting in the ocean water are also known as a phytoplankton.

Like the rest of the land plants, algae produce oxygen as a by – product of photosynthesis. In the process the sunlight is transformed into a chemical energy and the carbon dioxide – into oxygen. The reaction is accomplished through proteins that absorb the light. They contain chlorophyll pigments.  The photosynthesis is a way to preserve stable oxygen levels.

Plants in oceans are as important as those on the lands if not more. Forests and greenery are producing roughly one third of the oxygen on earth. The marine plants, on the other hand, are responsible for the rest. The algae can produce tons of oxygen. This means that half the air we breathe comes from the algae.

Don’t imagine, however, that the oceans and seas are filled from the bottom to the top with algae. There are places on the land that lack greenery. In the same way, there are aquatic areas that are not suitable for algae evolvement. Think about Antarctica. It doesn’t have the required conditions for growing plants. There are parts of the oceans that don’t offer the needed nutrients to stimulate the algae growth.

Although its positive influence is undeniable, it can also affect the clearance rate in the oceans. These marine plants are the main food many aquatic organisms, like the blue mussel that is used as an indicator of how clean is the sea water. The harmful particles in the oceans are absorbed by this type of mussels. The blue mussels are currently feeding with toxic species of algae that have detrimental effects of the clearance rate in the ocean.

However, we shouldn’t forget that most of the air we breathe is produced by algae.  In addition, by adding free oxygen to the atmosphere, algae indirectly help reduce the pollution and its negative effects.

Written on behalf of: Westminster House Clearance and Junk Removal services.

Jane Ashworth is a blogger from Manchester, Great Britain. She is a clutter fairy and can help you with a lot of advice about home and garden clearance.