Articles | Volume 18, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-775-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-775-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note: A universal method for measuring the thickness of microscopic calcite crystals, based on bidirectional circular polarization
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll. France, CEREGE,
Aix-en-Provence, France
Yves Gally
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll. France, CEREGE,
Aix-en-Provence, France
Baptiste Suchéras-Marx
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll. France, CEREGE,
Aix-en-Provence, France
Patrick Ferrand
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel,
Marseille, France
Julien Duboisset
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel,
Marseille, France
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Cited
15 citations as recorded by crossref.
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- Origin of the long-term increase in coccolith size and its implication for carbon cycle and climate over the past 2 Myr X. Jin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107642
- Are marl-limestone alternations mainly driven by CaCO3 variations at the astronomical timescale? New insights from extraterrestrial 3He P. Blard et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118173
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- Quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the open ocean carbonate pump - perspectives for remote sensing and autonomous in situ observation G. Neukermans et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104359
- Coccoliths as Recorders of Paleoceanography and Paleoclimate over the Past 66 Million Years C. Bolton & H. Stoll https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-040623-103211
- Variation in calcification of Reticulofenestra coccoliths over the Oligocene–Early Miocene J. Guitián et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022
- Technical note: A comparison of methods for estimating coccolith mass C. Valença et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1601-2024
- Cellular morphological trait dataset for extant coccolithophores from the Atlantic Ocean R. Sheward et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03544-1
- A rapid method for measuring ancient coccolith size R. Barrett et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2025.102504
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- Coccolith size rules – What controls the size of coccoliths during coccolithogenesis? B. Suchéras-Marx et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2021.102080
15 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Paleoproductivity and coccolith carbonate export in the northern Bay of Bengal during the late Pleistocene M. Srivastava et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-555-2025
- Quantification of dissolution and diagenetic overgrowth in early Eocene calcareous nannofossils through circular polarised light microscopy A. Clark et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-673-2025
- Origin of the long-term increase in coccolith size and its implication for carbon cycle and climate over the past 2 Myr X. Jin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107642
- Are marl-limestone alternations mainly driven by CaCO3 variations at the astronomical timescale? New insights from extraterrestrial 3He P. Blard et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118173
- The contributions of various calcifying plankton to the South Atlantic calcium carbonate stock A. Kruijt et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-531-2026
- Early Eocene evolutionary trajectories within the Toweius genus: insights from a newly identified species in the equatorial Atlantic J. Asanbe & J. Henderiks https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-45-159-2026
- Quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the open ocean carbonate pump - perspectives for remote sensing and autonomous in situ observation G. Neukermans et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104359
- Coccoliths as Recorders of Paleoceanography and Paleoclimate over the Past 66 Million Years C. Bolton & H. Stoll https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-040623-103211
- Variation in calcification of Reticulofenestra coccoliths over the Oligocene–Early Miocene J. Guitián et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5007-2022
- Technical note: A comparison of methods for estimating coccolith mass C. Valença et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1601-2024
- Cellular morphological trait dataset for extant coccolithophores from the Atlantic Ocean R. Sheward et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03544-1
- A rapid method for measuring ancient coccolith size R. Barrett et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2025.102504
- Short-term response of Emiliania huxleyi growth and morphology to abrupt salinity stress R. Sheward et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3121-2024
- Fossil coccolith morphological attributes as a new proxy for deep ocean carbonate chemistry A. Gerotto et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023
- Coccolith size rules – What controls the size of coccoliths during coccolithogenesis? B. Suchéras-Marx et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2021.102080
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 28 May 2026
Short summary
The coccoliths are major contributors to the particulate inorganic carbon in the ocean. They are extremely difficult to weigh because they are too small to be manipulated. We propose a universal method to measure thickness and weight of fine calcite using polarizing microscopy that does not require fine-tuning of the light or a calibration process. This method named "bidirectional circular polarization" uses two images taken with two directions of a circular polarizer.
The coccoliths are major contributors to the particulate inorganic carbon in the ocean. They are...
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