Hello!
Thank you for the great question.

As you correctly note, plants use sunlight to transform carbon dioxide in the air into food for the plant and oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. Some oxygen is kept by the plant, but the majority is released back into the air.

It looks like you are thinking about things that affect the speed of photosynthesis, which then affects how much oxygen plants produce. Scientists have determined three major factors that affect how much oxygen plants can make.

First, plants will photosynthesize faster when placed in stronger light. For example, plants on the equator receive more direct sunlight and therefore can produce oxygen faster.

Next, the speed of oxygen production depends on how much carbon dioxide is in the air. The more carbon dioxide that is available, the faster photosynthesis may occur. Increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air results in plants making more oxygen. We see this happening because of global warming, where people are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by using fossil fuels like oil and coal.

Last, the temperature of the air affects the speed of photosynthesis and oxygen production. The ideal temperature for photosynthesis, and oxygen production, is from 50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Any colder or hotter actually slows down the speed of oxygen production.

Each of these factors can add up and affect the production of oxygen from photosynthesis.

Thank you again for the nice question.