They’re smaller than dust, but crucial for Earth’s climate

 



A Delicate Balance Under Threat

Few people are aware of coccolithophores, yet without them, the planet’s oceans and climate would look drastically different. These single-celled algae, which contain chlorophyll, float in the sunlit layers of the sea and are coated with calcium carbonate plates known as coccoliths.

Though incredibly small, coccolithophores are among Earth’s most effective natural carbon regulators. Every year, they generate more than 1.5 billion tonnes of calcium carbonate, capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in deep-sea sediments. In addition to removing carbon, they produce oxygen, nourish marine food webs, and influence the planet’s greenhouse balance.

Coccolithophores often dominate vast stretches of the ocean, but climate change is altering the temperature, chemistry, and nutrient makeup of seawater. These shifts pose serious risks to their survival—and to the stability of the ecosystems that depend on them.

Why Coccolithophores?

What makes coccolithophores stand out from other plankton is both their role in the global carbon cycle and the unique record they leave behind. "Unlike other groups, they build intricate calcium carbonate plates that not only help draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but also transport it into deep ocean sediments, where it can be locked away for millennia. This biomineralization leaves behind an exceptional geological record, allowing us to study how they've responded to past climate shifts and better predict their future role. In short, their dual role as carbon pumps and climate archives makes them irreplaceable in understanding and tackling climate change," says Professor Alex Poulton of the Lyell Centre.

"They are the ocean's invisible architects, crafting the tiny plates that become vast archives of Earth's climate," says Dr. Jelena Godrijan, a leading coccolithophore researcher at the Ruđer Bošković Institute. "By studying their past and current responses to changes in the ocean, we can better understand how marine ecosystems function and explore how natural processes might help us tackle climate change.''

#Aerosols
#ClimateChange
#AtmosphericScience
#MicroParticles
#EarthClimate
#GlobalWarming
#ClimateResearch
#AirQuality
#EnvironmentalScience
#PlanetEarth

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