Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-531-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-531-2026
Research article
 | 
20 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 20 Jan 2026

The contributions of various calcifying plankton to the South Atlantic calcium carbonate stock

Anne L. Kruijt, Robin van Dijk, Olivier Sulpis, Luc Beaufort, Guillaume Lassus, Geert-Jan Brummer, A. Daniëlle van der Burg, Ben A. Cala, Yasmina Ourradi, Katja T. C. A. Peijnenburg, Matthew P. Humphreys, Sonia Chaabane, Appy Sluijs, and Jack J. Middelburg

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We measured the three main types of plankton that produce calcium carbonate in the ocean, at the same time and location. While coccolithophores were the biggest contributors, we found that planktonic gastropods, not foraminifera, were the second largest contributor. This challenges the current view and improves our understanding of how these organisms influence oceans’ carbon cycling.
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