biota

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An international team of marine biogeochemist and atmospheric scientists have made a rare discovery in the almost uncharted atmosphere of the South Pacific Ocean. They found that nocturnal nanoparticle bursts that contain nitrogenous compounds originate when marine micro-organisms apparently shield themselves from UV radiation. These particles help form clouds over the ocean, which reduces…

Emiliania huxleyi, a single-celled marine phytoplankton. Storing excess atmospheric CO2 in the ocean may help mitigate climate change, but the potential biological effects have yet to be explored. Gately et al. investigate the effect of ocean alkalinity enhancement, a process that sequesters carbon by increasing ocean alkalinity through limestone-inspired mineral addition. The growth rate and elemental ratios of two important types of phytoplankton,…