Jar,
If photosynthesis rids the earth of water, we are in quite a predicament. Perhaps this is why bottled water is so expensive?!
Anyway, Photosynthesis is the process of constructive metabolism by which carbohydrates are formed from water vapor and the carbon dioxide of the air in the chlorophyll-containing tissues of plants exposed to the action of light.
(inhale)
The by product of photosynthesis is the oxygen we breathe. (sniffffffff ahhhhhhhhh).
Now, we know that only God can create something from nothing (ex nihlo), so where does all of the water come from?
Well, Jars, I'm glad you asked. The fact is there is no more or less water on the earth than when it was created. WHAT?! YES! ITS TRUE!
The Hydrologic Cycle (tecnically called the "water cycle") consists of a series of transfers of water involving the atmosphere, soils, plants, rocks, rivers, lakes, oceans and glacial ice. Water may occur as a liquid, solid (ice) or a gas (water vapor). Water drops are made up of thousands of water molecules, two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen, (H2O). An individual water molecule may move rapidly through the hydrologic system in the space of a few days or may be in storage (for example as ice or ground water) for hundreds of years.
In short, our friend is correct in saying the air we breathe is the same air that has been around for quite some time (it may consist of Hamster's recycled farts, but hey!) and the water we enjoy while geocaching is a recycled version of itself.
Did you guys here about that guy in Yugoslavia?