Earth has abundant atmospheric oxygen due to biological photosynthesis
Earth's abundant atmospheric oxygen is primarily the result of biological oxygenic photosynthesis, particularly driven by ancient cyanobacteria and marked by events like the Great Oxidation.
The retrieved papers consistently support the well-established scientific consensus that Earth's atmospheric oxygen accumulated due to biological oxygenic photosynthesis, specifically referencing cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event.
Horne JE, Goldblatt C, Kump L. An early origin of oxygenic photosynthesis delays the Great Oxidation.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0094
The study discusses how oxygenic photosynthesis was the biological metabolism that drove the Great Oxidation Event and shaped Earth's atmospheric oxygen history.
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Crockford PW, Sugiyama I, Kipp MA, Hao J, Nelson LL, Hemingway JD, Wimmer S, Fakhraee M. Revisiting the greatness of Earth's great oxidation.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03518-8
The review examines the accumulation of free oxygen in Earth's atmosphere resulting from ancient biological processes like the Great Oxidation Event.
Trost K, Gennis RB, Allen JF, Mills DB, Martin WF. Oxygen reductase origin followed the great oxidation event and terminated the Lomagundi excursion.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbabio.2025.149575
The paper notes that cyanobacterial oxygen production initiated the rise of atmospheric oxygen around the Great Oxidation Event.
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