Phytoplankton Calcification in a High-CO 2 World
Ocean acidification in response to rising atmospheric CO 2 partial pressures is widely expected to reduce calcification by marine organisms. From the mid-Mesozoic, coccolithophores have been major calcium carbonate producers in the world's oceans, today accounting for about a third of the total...
Published in: | Science |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2008
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1154122 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1154122 |
Summary: | Ocean acidification in response to rising atmospheric CO 2 partial pressures is widely expected to reduce calcification by marine organisms. From the mid-Mesozoic, coccolithophores have been major calcium carbonate producers in the world's oceans, today accounting for about a third of the total marine CaCO 3 production. Here, we present laboratory evidence that calcification and net primary production in the coccolithophore species Emiliania huxleyi are significantly increased by high CO 2 partial pressures. Field evidence from the deep ocean is consistent with these laboratory conclusions, indicating that over the past 220 years there has been a 40% increase in average coccolith mass. Our findings show that coccolithophores are already responding and will probably continue to respond to rising atmospheric CO 2 partial pressures, which has important implications for biogeochemical modeling of future oceans and climate. |
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