Articles | Volume 22, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4405-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-22-4405-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Sep 2025
Research article |
| 04 Sep 2025
| 04 Sep 2025
Particulate inorganic carbon pools by coccolithophores in low-oxygen–low-pH waters off the Southeast Pacific margin
Francisco Javier Díaz-Rosas
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Cristian Antonio Vargas
Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Coastal Ecosystems & Global Environmental Change Lab (ECCALab), Department of Aquatic Systems, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Peter von Dassow
Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Deoxygenation in the Eastern South Pacific (DEOXS), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Related authors
Francisco Díaz-Rosas, Catharina Alves-de-Souza, Emilio Alarcón, Eduardo Menschel, Humberto E. González, Rodrigo Torres, and Peter von Dassow
Biogeosciences, 18, 5465–5489, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5465-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5465-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Coccolithophores are important unicellular algae with a calcium carbonate covering that might be affected by ongoing changes in the ocean due to absorption of CO2, warming, and melting of glaciers. We used the southern Patagonian fjords as a natural laboratory, where chemical conditions are naturally highly variable. One variant of a widespread coccolithophore species can tolerate these conditions, suggesting it is highly adaptable, while others were excluded, suggesting they are less adaptable.
Sebastian I. Cantarero, Edgart Flores, Harry Allbrook, Paulina Aguayo, Cristian A. Vargas, John E. Tamanaha, J. Bentley C. Scholz, Lennart T. Bach, Carolin R. Löscher, Ulf Riebesell, Balaji Rajagopalan, Nadia Dildar, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 21, 3927–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3927-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3927-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study explores lipid remodeling in response to environmental stress, specifically how cell membrane chemistry changes. We focus on intact polar lipids in a phytoplankton community exposed to diverse stressors in a mesocosm experiment. The observed remodeling indicates acyl chain recycling for energy storage in intact polar lipids during stress, reallocating resources based on varying growth conditions. This understanding is essential to grasp the system's impact on cellular pools.
Francisco Díaz-Rosas, Catharina Alves-de-Souza, Emilio Alarcón, Eduardo Menschel, Humberto E. González, Rodrigo Torres, and Peter von Dassow
Biogeosciences, 18, 5465–5489, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5465-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5465-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Coccolithophores are important unicellular algae with a calcium carbonate covering that might be affected by ongoing changes in the ocean due to absorption of CO2, warming, and melting of glaciers. We used the southern Patagonian fjords as a natural laboratory, where chemical conditions are naturally highly variable. One variant of a widespread coccolithophore species can tolerate these conditions, suggesting it is highly adaptable, while others were excluded, suggesting they are less adaptable.
Cited articles
Balch, W. M.: Underway Data (SAS) from R/V Roger Revelle KNOX22RR in the Patagonian Shelf (SW South Atlantic) from 2008–2009 (COPAS08 project), Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO), 2010.
Balch, W. M.: The Ecology, Biogeochemistry, and Optical Properties of Coccolithophores, Annu. Rev. Marine Sci., 10, 71–98, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-121916-063319, 2018.
Balch, W. M. and Kilpatrick, K.: Calcification rates in the equatorial Pacific along 140° W, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 43, 971–993, https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0645(96)00032-x, 1996.
Balch, W. M. and Mitchell, C.: Remote sensing algorithms for particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) and the global cycle of PIC, Earth-Sci. Rev., 239, 104363, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104363, 2023.
Balch, W. M., Holligan, P., Ackleson, S., and Voss, K.: Biological and optical properties of mesoscale coccolithophore blooms in the Gulf of Maine, Limnol. Oceanogr., 36, 629–643, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1991.36.4.0629, 1991.
Balch, W. M., Drapeau, D. T., and Fritz, J.: Monsoonal forcing of calcification in the Arabian Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 47, 1301–1337, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(99)00145-9, 2000.
Balch, W. M., Bates, N. R., Lam, P., Twining, B. S., Rosengard, S. Z., Bowler, B. C., Drapeau, D. T., Garley, R., Lubelczyk, L. C., Mitchell, C., and Rauschenberg, S.: Factors regulating the Great Calcite Belt in the Southern Ocean and its biogeochemical significance, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 30, 1124–1144, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005414, 2016.
Balch, W. M., Bowler, B. C., Drapeau, D. T., Lubelczyk, L. C., and Lyczsckowski, E.: Vertical Distributions of Coccolithophores, PIC, POC, Biogenic Silica, and Chlorophyll a Throughout the Global Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 32, 2–17, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005614, 2018.
Barcelos e Ramos, J., Müller, M. N., and Riebesell, U.: Short-term response of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi to an abrupt change in seawater carbon dioxide concentrations, Biogeosciences, 7, 177–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-177-2010, 2010.
Barrett, P., Resing, J., Buck, N., Feely, R. A., Bullister, J., Buck, C., and Landing, W.: Calcium carbonate dissolution in the upper 1000 m of the eastern North Atlantic, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 28, 386–397, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GB004619, 2014.
Beaufort, L., Couapel, M., Buchet, N., Claustre, H., and Goyet, C.: Calcite production by coccolithophores in the south east Pacific Ocean, Biogeosciences, 5, 1101–1117, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-5-1101-2008, 2008.
Beaufort, L., Probert, I., de Garidel-Thoron, T., Bendif, E. M., Ruiz-Pino, D., Metzl, N., Goyet, C., Buchet, N., Coupel, P., Grelaud, M., Rost, B., Rickaby, R. E. M., and de Vargas, C.: Sensitivity of coccolithophores to carbonate chemistry and ocean acidification, Nature, 476, 80–83, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10295, 2011.
Bendif, E., Probert, I., Díaz-Rosas, F., Thomas, D., van den Engh, G., Young, J., and von Dassow, P.: Recent reticulate evolution in the ecologically dominant lineage of coccolithophores, Front. Microbiol., 7, 784, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00784, 2016.
Bendif, E. M., Nevado, B., Wong, E., Hagino, K., Probert, I., Young, J. R., Rickaby, R. E. M., and Filatov, D.: Repeated species radiations in the recent evolution of the key marine phytoplankton lineage Gephyrocapsa, Nat. Commun., 10, 4234, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12169-7, 2019.
Briggs, N., Dall'Olmo, G., and Claustre, Hervé: Major role of particle fragmentation in regulating biological sequestration of CO2 by the oceans, Science, 367, 791–793, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay1790, 2020.
Brown, C. W. and Yoder, J. A.: Coccolithophorid blooms in the global ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 7467–7482, https://doi.org/10.1029/93JC02156, 1994.
Cai, W.-J.: Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Carbon Paradox: CO2 Sinks or Sites of Terrestrial Carbon Incineration?, Annu. Rev. Marine Sci., 3, 123–145, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120709-142723, 2011.
Cavan, E. L., Trimmer, M., Shelley, F., and Sanders, R.: Remineralization of particulate organic carbon in an ocean oxygen minimum zone, Nat. Commun., 8, 14847, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14847, 2017.
Claxton, L., McClelland, H., Hermoso, M., and Rickaby, R. E. M.: Eocene emergence of highly calcifying coccolithophores despite declining atmospheric CO2, Nat. Geosci., 15, 826–831, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01006-0, 2022.
Copernicus-GlobColour: Global Ocean Colour (Copernicus-GlobColour), Bio-Geo-Chemical, L4 (monthly and interpolated) from Satellite Observations (Near Real Time), Copernicus [data set], https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00279, 2023.
Cornejo, M. and Farías, L.: Following the N2O consumption in the oxygen minimum zone of the eastern South Pacific, Biogeosciences, 9, 3205–3212, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-3205-2012, 2012.
Daniels, C. J., Tyrrell, T., Poulton, A. J., and Pettit, L.: The influence of lithogenic material on particulate inorganic carbon measurements of coccolithophores in the Bay of Biscay, Limnol. Oceanogr., 57, 145–153, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2012.57.1.0145, 2012.
Díaz-Rosas, F., Alves-de-Souza, C., Alarcón, E., Menschel, E., González, H. E., Torres, R., and von Dassow, P.: Abundances and morphotypes of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in southern Patagonia compared to neighbouring oceans and Northern Hemisphere fjords, Biogeosciences, 18, 5465–5489, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5465-2021, 2021.
Díaz-Rosas, F., Vargas, C. A., and von Dassow, P.: Scanning Electron Microscopy Datasets – Coccospheres and detached coccoliths in waters off the Southeast Pacific margin, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14048319, 2024a.
Díaz-Rosas, F., Vargas, C. A., and von Dassow, P.: Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) and associated coccospheres and detached coccoliths in waters off the Southeast Pacific margin in 2015, PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.975783, 2024b.
Díaz-Rosas, F., Vargas, C. A., and von Dassow, P.: Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) and associated coccospheres and detached coccoliths in waters off the Southeast Pacific margin in 2018, PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.975784, 2024c.
Díaz-Rosas, F., von Dassow, P., and Vargas, C.: Cross-polarized light microscopy images – Coccospheres and detached coccoliths in waters off the Southeast Pacific margin, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14708539, 2024d.
Engel, A., Wagner, H., Le Moigne, F. A. C., and Wilson, S. T.: Particle export fluxes to the oxygen minimum zone of the eastern tropical North Atlantic, Biogeosciences, 14, 1825–1838, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1825-2017, 2017.
Fernández, E., Boyd, P. W., Holligan, P., and Harbour, D. S.: Production of organic and inorganic carbon within a large-scale coccolithophore bloom in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, Marine Ecol. Prog. Ser., 97, 271–285, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps097271, 1993.
Frada, M., Young, J., Cachão, M., Lino, S., Martins, A., Narciso, Á., Probert, I., and De Vargas, C.: A guide to extant coccolithophores (Calcihaptophycidae, Haptophyta) using light microscopy, Journal of Nannoplankton Research, 31, 58–112, https://doi.org/10.58998/jnr2094, 2010.
García, H. E., Weathers, K. W., Paver, C. R., Smolyar, I., Boyer, T. P., Locarnini, R. A., Zweng, M. M., Mishonov, A. V., Baranova, O. K., Seidov, D., and Reagan, J. R: World Ocean Data 2018, Volume 3: Dissolved Oxygen, Apparent Oxygen Utilization, and Oxygen Saturation, Mishonov, A. Technical Editor. NOAA Atlas NESDIS 83, https://doi.org/10.25923/qspr-pn52, 2018.
GEBCO: The GEBCO_2023 Grid – a continuous terrain model of the global oceans and land, National Oceanography Centre [data set], https://doi.org/10.5285/f98b053b-0cbc-6c23-e053-6c86abc0af7b, 2023.
Gilly, W., Beman, M., Litvin, S., and Robison, B.: Oceanographic and biological effects of shoaling of the oxygen minimum zone, Annu. Rev. Marine Sci., 5, 393–420, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120710-100849, 2013.
Guerreiro, C., Oliveira, A., de Stigter, H., Cachão, M., Sá, C., Borges, C., Cros, L., Fortuño, J.-M., and Rodrigues, A.: Late winter coccolithophore bloom off central Portugal in response to river discharge and upwelling, Cont. Shelf Res., 59, 65–83, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2013.04.016, 2013.
Guerreiro, C., Ferreira, A., Cros, L., Stuut, J.-B., Baker, A., Tracana, A., Pinto, C., Veloso, V., Rees, A., Cachão, M., Nunes, T., and Brotas, V.: Response of coccolithophore communities to oceanographic and atmospheric processes across the North- and Equatorial Atlantic, Front. Marine Sci., 10, 1119488, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1119488, 2023.
Guerreiro, C. V., Baumann, K.-H., Brummer, G. A., Valente, A., Fischer, G., Ziveri, P., Brotas, V., and Stuut, J. W.: Carbonate fluxes by coccolithophore species between NW Africa and the Caribbean: Implications for the biological carbon pump, Limnol. Oceanogr., 66, 3190–3208, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11872, 2021.
Hagino, K. and Okada, H.: Floral Response of Coccolithophores to Progressive Oligotrophication in the South Equatorial Current, Pacific Ocean, in: Global Environmental Change in the Ocean and on Land, TERRAPUB, Japan, 121–132, 2004.
Hagino, K. and Okada, H.: Intra- and infra-specific morphological variation in selected coccolithophore species in the equatorial and subequatorial Pacific Ocean, Marine Micropaleontol., 58, 184–206, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2005.11.001, 2006.
Henderiks, J., Winter, A., Elbrächter, M., Feistel, R., van der Plas, A., Nausch, G., and Barlow, R.: Environmental controls on Emiliania huxleyi morphotypes in the Benguela coastal upwelling system (SE Atlantic), Marine Ecol. Prog. Ser., 448, 51–66, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09535, 2012.
Hofmann, M. and Schellnhuber, H.-J.: Oceanic acidification affects marine carbon pump and triggers extended marine oxygen holes, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 106, 3017–3022, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0813384106, 2009.
Holligan, P., Charalampopoulou, A., and Hutson, R.: Seasonal distributions of the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, and of particulate inorganic carbon in surface waters of the Scotia Sea, J. Marine Syst., 82, 195–205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2010.05.007, 2010.
Holligan, P., Fernández, E., Aiken, J., Balch, W., Boyd, P. W., Burkill, P., Finch, M., Groom, S., Malin, G., Muller, K., Purdie, D., Robinson, C., Trees, Ch., Turner, S., and van der Wal, P.: A biocheochemical study of the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, in the North Atlantic, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 7, 879–900, https://doi.org/10.1029/93GB01731, 1993a.
Holligan, P., Groom, S., and Harbour, D. S.: What controls the distribution of the coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, in the North Sea?, Fisheries Oceanography, 2, 175–183, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2419.1993.tb00133.x, 1993b.
Hopkins, J., Henson, S. A., Poulton, A. J., and Balch, W. M.: Regional Characteristics of the Temporal Variability in the Global Particulate Inorganic Carbon Inventory, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 33, 1328–1338, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006300, 2019.
Hsieh, T., Ma, K., and Chao, A.: iNEXT: Interpolation and Extrapolation for Species Diversity (Version 3.0.2) [R package]. CRAN., https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.iNEXT, 2024.
Iversen, M. H. and Ploug, H.: Ballast minerals and the sinking carbon flux in the ocean: carbon-specific respiration rates and sinking velocity of marine snow aggregates, Biogeosciences, 7, 2613–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-2613-2010, 2010.
Kitchenham, B., Madeyski, L., Budgen, D., Keung, J., Brereton, P., Charters, S., Gibbs, S., and Pohthong, A.: Robust statistical methods for empirical software engineering, Empir. Softw. Eng., 22, 579–630, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-016-9437-5, 2017.
Klaas, C. and Archer, D.: Association of sinking organic matter with various types of mineral ballast in the deep sea: Implications for the rain ratio, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 16, 1116, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GB001765, 2002.
Kottmeier, D. M., Chrachri, A., Langer, G., Helliwell, K. E., Wheeler, G. L., and Brownlee, C.: Reduced H+ channel activity disrupts pH homeostasis and calcification in coccolithophores at low ocean pH, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 119, e2118009119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118009119, 2022.
Lee, C., Peterson, M., Wakeham, S., Armstrong, R., Cochran, K., Miquel, J. C., Fowler, S., Hirschberg, D., Beck, A., and Xue, J.: Particulate organic matter and ballast fluxes measured using time-series and settling velocity sediment traps in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 56, 1420–1436, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.11.029, 2009.
Lessard, E., Merico, A., and Tyrrell, T.: Nitrate:phosphate ratios and Emiliania huxleyi blooms, Limnol. Oceanogr., 50, 1020–1024, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2005.50.3.1020, 2005.
Mair, P. and Wilcox, R.: Robust statistical methods in R using the WRS2 package, Behav. Res. Methods, 52, 464–488, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-019-01246-w, 2020.
Margalef, R.: Life-forms of phytoplankton as survival alternatives in an unstable environment, Oceanol. Acta, 1, 493–509, https://doi.org/10.4236/jmp.2019.1013103, 1978.
Matson, P., Washburn, L., Fields, E., Gotschalk, C., Ladd, T., Siegel, D., Welch, Z., and Iglesias-Rodriguez, M. D.: Formation, development, and propagation of a rare coastal coccolithophore bloom, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 124, 3298–3316, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015072, 2019.
Menschel, E., González, H. E., and Giesecke, R.: Coastal-oceanic distribution gradient of coccolithophores and their role in the carbonate flux of the upwelling system off Concepción, Chile (36° S), J. Plankton Res., 38, 798–817, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbw037, 2016.
Monteiro, F. M., Bach, L. T., Brownlee, C., Bown, P., Rickaby, R. E. M., Poulton, A. J., Tyrrell, T., Beaufort, L., Dutkiewicz, S., Gibbs, S., Gutowska, M. A., Lee, R., Riebesell, U., Young, J. R., and Ridgwell, A.: Why marine phytoplankton calcify, Sci. Adv., 2, e1501822, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1501822, 2016.
Morel, A.: Optical modeling of the upper ocean in relation to its biogenous matter content (case I waters), J. Geophys. Res., 93, 749–768, https://doi.org/10.1029/JC093iC09p10749, 1988.
Morel, A., Huot, Y., Gentili, B., Werdell, J., Hooker, S., and Franz, B.: Examining the consistency of products derived from various ocean color sensors in open ocean (Case 1) waters in the perspective of a multi-sensor approach, Remote Sens. Environ., 111, 69–88, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2007.03.012, 2007.
Müller, M., Trull, T. W., and Hallegraeff, G.: Differing responses of three Southern Ocean Emiliania huxleyi ecotypes to changing seawater carbonate chemistry, Marine Ecol. Prog. Ser., 531, 81–90, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11309, 2015.
NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group: NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group: Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC), https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/resources/atbd/pic/ (last access: 25 March 2024), 2023.
Oliver, H., McGillicuddy, D., Krumhardt, K., Long, M., Bates, N. R., Bowler, B., Drapeau, D., and Balch, W. M.: Environmental Drivers of Coccolithophore Growth in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 37, e2023GB007751, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GB007751, 2023.
Paasche, E.: A review of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi (Prymnesiophyceae), with particular reference to growth, coccolith formation, and calcification–photosynthesis interactions, Phycologia, 40, 503–529, https://doi.org/10.2216/i0031-8884-40-6-503.1, 2001.
Painter, S. C., Finlay, M., Hemsley, V., and Martin, A.: Seasonality, phytoplankton succession and the biogeochemical impacts of an autumn storm in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, Prog. Oceanogr., 142, 72–104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2016.02.001, 2016.
Posit Software, PBC: Posit Workbench: Integrated development environment for R, Phyton, and other languages, https://posit.co/products/enterprise/workbench/ (last access: 22 January 2025), 2024.
Poulton, A. J., Sanders, R., Holligan, P., Stinchcombe, M., Adey, T., Brown, L., and Chamberlain, K.: Phytoplankton mineralization in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 20, GB4002, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002712, 2006.
Poulton, A. J., Painter, S. C., Young, J. R., Bates, N. R., Bowler, B. C., Drapeau, D., Lyczsckowski, E., and Balch, W. M.: The 2008 Emiliania huxleyi bloom along the Patagonian Shelf: Ecology, biogeochemistry, and cellular calcification, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 27, 1023–1033, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GB004641, 2013.
R Core Team: R: A language and environment for statistical computing, https://www.R-project.org/ (last access: 22 January 2025), 2024.
Ridgwell, A. and Zeebe, R.: The role of the global carbonate cycle in the regulation and evolution of the Earth system, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 234, 299–315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2005.03.006, 2005.
Riebesell, U., Zondervan, I., Rost, B., Tortell, P., Zeebe, R., and Morel, F.: Reduced calcification of marine plankton in response to increased atmospheric CO2, Nature, 407, 364–367, https://doi.org/10.1038/35030078, 2000.
Schlitzer, R.: Ocean Data View, http://odv.awi.de (last access: 27 April 2025), 2024.
Schmidtko, S., Stramma, L., and Visbeck, M.: Decline in global oceanic oxygen content during the past five decades, Nature, 542, 335–339, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21399, 2017.
Silva, A., Palma, S., and Moita, M. T.: Coccolithophores in the upwelling waters of Portugal: Four years of weekly distribution in Lisbon bay, Cont. Shelf Res., 28, 2601–2613, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2008.07.009, 2008.
Stramma, L., Johnson, G., Sprintall, J., and Mohrholz, V.: Expanding oxygen-minimum zones in the tropical oceans, Science, 320, 655–658, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153847, 2008.
Subhas, A., Dong, S., Naviaux, J., Rollins, N., and Adkins, J.: Shallow Calcium Carbonate Cycling in the North Pacific Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 36, e2022GB007388, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007388, 2022.
Taylor, A. R. and Brownlee, C.: Calcification, in: The Physiology of Microalgae. Development in Applied Phycology, vol. 6, Springer, Cham, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24945-2_14, 2016.
Thiel, M., Macaya, E., Acuña, E., Arntz, W., Bastias, H., Brokordt, K., Camus, P., Castilla, J. C., Castro, L., Cortés, M., Dumont, C., Escribano, R., Fernandez, M., Gajardo, J., Gaymer, C., Gomez, I., González, A., González, H., Haye, P., Illanes, J.-E., Iriarte, J. L., Lancellotti, D., Luna-Jorquera, G., Luxoro, C., Manriquez, P., Marín, V., Muñoz, P., Navarrete, S., Perez, E., Poulin, E., Sellanes, J., Sepúlveda, H., Stotz, W., Tala, F., Thomas, A., Vargas, C., Vasquez, J., and Vega, A.: The Humboldt current system of northern and central Chile Oceanographic processes, ecological interactions and socioeconomic feedback, Oceanogr. Marine Biol., 45, 195–344, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420050943.ch6, 2007.
Torres, R., Turner, D., Rutllant, J. A., Sobarzo, M., Antezana, T., and González, H. E.: CO2 outgassing off central Chile (31–30° S) and northern Chile (24–23° S) during austral summer 1997: the effect of wind intensity on the upwelling and ventilation of CO2-rich waters, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 49, 1413–1429, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0637(02)00034-1, 2002.
Torres, R., Pantoja, S., Harada, N., González, H. E., Daneri, G., Frangopulos, M., Rutllant, J. A., Duarte, C. M., Rúiz-Halpern, S., Mayol, E., and Fukasawa, M.: Air-sea CO2 fluxes along the coast of Chile: From CO2 outgassing in central northern upwelling waters to CO2 uptake in southern Patagonian fjords, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 116, C09006, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JC006344, 2011.
Tyrrell, T. and Merico, A.: Emiliania huxleyi: bloom observations and the conditions that induce them, in: Coccolithophores, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06278-4_4, 2004.
Vargas, C., Cantarero, S., Sepúlveda, J., Galán, A., De Pol-Holz, R., Walker, B., Schneider, W., Farías, L., Cornejo, M., Walker, J., Xu, X., and Salisbury, J.: A source of isotopically light organic carbon in a low-pH anoxic marine zone, Nat. Commun., 12, 1604, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21871-4, 2021.
Vargas, C. A., Lagos, N. A., Lardies, M. A., Duarte, C., Manriquez, P. H., Aguilera, V. M., Broitman, B., Widdicombe, S., and Dupont, S.: Species-specific responses to ocean acidification should account for local adaptation and adaptive plasticity, Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1, 0084, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0084, 2017.
Vargas, C. A., Alarcón, G., Navarro, E., and Cornejo-D'Ottone, M.: Discrete, profile measurement of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity, partial pressure of CO2, pH on total scale, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration and other variables obtained during the R/V Cabo de Hornos cruise Lowphox-I (ESPOCODE 20HZ20151205) in the South Pacific Ocean from 2015-12-05 to 2015-12-09 (NCEI Accession 0281723), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information [data set], https://doi.org/10.25921/1tgf-v522, 2023a.
Vargas, C. A., Alarcón, G., Navarro, E., and Cornejo-D'Ottone, M.: Discrete, profile measurement of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity, partial pressure of CO2, pH on total scale, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration and other variables obtained during the R/V Cabo de Hornos cruise Lowphox-I (ESPOCODE 20HZ20151227) in the South Pacific Ocean from 2015-11-27 to 2015-11-28 (NCEI Accession 0281749), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information [data set], https://doi.org/10.25921/0dg3-8e14, 2023b.
Vargas, C. A., Alarcón, G., Navarro, E., and Cornejo-D'Ottone, M.: Discrete, profile measurement of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity, partial pressure of CO2, pH on total scale, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration and other variables obtained during the R/V Cabo de Hornos cruise Lowphox-II (ESPOCODE 20HZ20180203) in the South Pacific Ocean from 2018-02-03 to 2018-02-06 (NCEI Accession 0281750), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information [data set], https://doi.org/10.25921/6202-vf47, 2023c.
van der Wal, P., Kempers, R., and Veldhuis, M.: Production and downward flux of organic matter and calcite in a North Sea bloom of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi, Marine Ecol. Prog. Ser., 126, 247–265, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps126247, 1995.
von Dassow, P.: Voltage-gated proton channels explain coccolithophore sensitivity to ocean acidification, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 119, e2206426119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206426119, 2022.
von Dassow, P., Díaz-Rosas, F., Bendif, E. M., Gaitán-Espitia, J.-D., Mella-Flores, D., Rokitta, S., John, U., and Torres, R.: Over-calcified forms of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi in high-CO2 waters are not preadapted to ocean acidification, Biogeosciences, 15, 1515–1534, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1515-2018, 2018.
Weber, T. and Bianchi, D.: Efficient particle tranfer to depth in Oxygen Minimum Zones of the Pacific and Indian oceans, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00376, 2020.
Werdell, J., Bailey, S., Fargion, G., Pietras, C., Knobelspiesse, K., Feldman, G., and McClain, C.: Unique Data Repository Facilitates Ocean Color Satellite Validation, EOS, 84, 377–392, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003EO380001, 2003.
Winter, A., Henderiks, J., Beaufort, L., Rickaby, R. E. M., and Christopher W. Brown: Poleward expansion of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi, J. Plankton Res., 36, 316–325, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbt110, 2014.
Wong, J., Raven, J., Aldunate, M., Silva, S., Gaitan-Espitia, J., Vargas, C., Ulloa, O., and von Dassow, P.: Do phytoplankton require oxygen to survive? A hypothesis and model synthesis from oxygen minimum zones, Limnol. Oceanogr., 68, 1417–1437, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12367, 2023.
Xu, Y., Li, X., Luo, M., Xiao, W., Fang, J., Rashid, H., Peng, Y., Li, W., Wenzhöfer, F., Rowden, A., and Glud, R.: Distribution, Source, and Burial of Sedimentary Organic Carbon in Kermadec and Atacama Trenches, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 126, e2020JG006189, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006189, 2021.
Yang, T.-N. and Wei, K.-Y.: How many coccoliths are there in a coccosphere of the extant coccolithophorids? A compilation, Journal of Nannoplankton Research, 25, 7–15, https://doi.org/10.58998/jnr2275, 2003.
Young, J., Geisen, M., Cros, L., Kleijne, A., Sprengel, C., Probert, I., and Østergaard, J.: A guide to extant coccolithophore taxonomy, Journal of Nannoplankton Research Special Issue, 1, 1–125, https://doi.org/10.58998/jnr2297, 2003.
Young, J. R. and Ziveri, P.: Calculation of coccolith volume and its use in calibration of carbonate flux estimates, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 47, 1679–1700, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(00)00003-5, 2000.
Yuen, K.: The two-sample trimmed t for unequal population variances, Biometrika, 61, 165–170, https://doi.org/10.1093/biomet/61.1.165, 1974.
Zhang, H., Wang, K., Fan, G., Li, Z., Yu, Z., Jiang, J., Lian, T., and Feng, G.: Feedbacks of CaCO3 dissolution effect on ocean carbon sink and seawater acidification: a model study, Environ. Res. Commun., 5, 021004, https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/aca9ac, 2023.
Ziveri, P., Thunell, R. C., and Rio, D.: Seasonal changes in coccolithophore densities in the Southern California Bight during 1991–1992, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 42, 1893–1903, https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0637(95)00089-5, 1995.
Ziveri, P., Bernardi, B., Baumann, K.-H., Stoll, H., and Mortyn, G.: Sinking of coccolith carbonate and potential contribution to organic carbon ballasting in the deep ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 54, 659–675, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.01.006, 2007.
Ziveri, P., Gray, W., Anglada-Ortiz, G., Manno, C., Grelaud, M., Incarbona, A., Buchanan, J., Subhas, A., Pallacks, S., White, A., Adkins, J., and Berelson, W.: Pelagic calcium carbonate production and shallow dissolution in the North Pacific Ocean, Nat. Commun., 14, 805, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36177-w, 2023.
Zondervan, I.: The effects of light, macronutrients, trace metals and CO2 on the production of calcium carbonate and organic carbon in coccolithophores – A review, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 54, 521–537, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.12.004, 2007.
Short summary
Coccolithophores are tiny oceanic algae that produce calcium carbonate, which can help organic matter sink and affect the oxygen levels below. As ocean conditions change, we studied how these algae contribute to carbon transport in a low-oxygen, low-pH region of the Southeast Pacific. Our results show they survive in these challenging conditions, but their impact is lower than in most regions, suggesting that other phytoplankton may play a bigger role in moving organic carbon here.
Coccolithophores are tiny oceanic algae that produce calcium carbonate, which can help organic...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint