OLP 4: The ocean makes Earth habitable
Life started in the ocean. The millions of different species of organisms on Earth today are related by descent from common ancestors that evolved in the ocean (Fig. 1). The accumulation of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere through photosynthesis was necessary for life to develop and be sustained on land.
The ocean provided, and continues to provide, water, oxygen, and nutrients and moderates the climate needed for life to exist on Earth.OLP 4.C