Forests act like big lungs for the planet. During the day, trees take in carbon dioxide from the air and make oxygen, just like we do when we breathe. At night, they do the opposite, they use up oxygen to breathe and give out more carbon dioxide. It’s a little bit like how people sleep and breathe differently during the day and night.
Examples
- A tree takes in air like we do during the day, it breathes out oxygen. At night, it uses up that same oxygen for its own sleep-time breathing.
- During the day, a forest is full of fresh air; at night, you can feel it's more like holding your breath.
- Imagine if every house on Earth had a big fan that turned on and off, sometimes blowing out clean air, sometimes sucking in dirty air.
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See also
- Why Do Forests Absorb More CO₂ at Night?
- Why Do Forests Act Like a Giant Lung?
- Why Do Forests Act Like Giant Lungs?
- Why Do Forests Breathe Like Living Beings?
- Why Do Forests Breathe Like Humans?