Photosynthesis and the Carbon Cycle

https://jtvideos.blogspot.com/2025/07/photosynthesis-and-carbon-cycle.html

• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight. This is the foundation of the global carbon and oxygen cycles.

• National Geographic Education explains how plants use sunlight, CO₂, and water to produce oxygen and sugars.

• Nature Education details how photosynthesis drives the carbon cycle and produces oxygen essential for respiration.

? CO₂ Fluctuations in Polar Regions

• In the Arctic and Antarctic, photosynthesis halts during long, dark winters, leading to seasonal increases in atmospheric CO₂.

• The British Antarctic Survey discusses how Antarctic ice cores reveal historical dips and rises in CO₂ levels due to natural cycles and land-use changes.

• Open University shows how Antarctic temperature and CO₂ levels have closely correlated over glacial cycles.

?￯ﾸﾏ Cold Regions and CO₂ Dynamics

• Interestingly, rising CO₂ levels over central Antarctica can cause cooling, not warming, due to unique atmospheric conditions.

• A study in Geophysical Research Letters found that excess CO₂ over Antarctica increases heat loss to space, creating a “negative greenhouse effect”.

• Science News and Science News Explores both report on this counterintuitive cooling effect.

? Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Feedbacks

• Ice core studies show abrupt “jumps” in CO₂ levels during Earth’s history, often linked to changes in ocean circulation and Earth’s tilt.

• The Conversation explains how these jumps—around 10 ppm in less than a century—are tied to natural feedbacks and could be amplified by human activity.

If you'd like, I can turn this into a visual timeline or infographic showing how CO₂ levels shift across seasons and regions. Or we could explore how these cycles relate to climate change predictions. What direction shall we take next?