Coccolithophores' Carbon Extraction and Fixation Observed in the Field.
New research from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences shows that coccolithophores, a globally ubiquitous type of phytoplankton, can survive in low-light conditions by taking up dissolved organic forms of carbon, forcing researchers to reconsider the processes that drive carbon cycling in the ocean. This is the first evidence of this phenomenon in nature. The uptake of these free-floating organic compounds is another step in both the biological and alkalinity pumps that drive the transport of carbon from the ocean surface to depths below.