Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
with laboratory experiments showing a relation between the
availability of
3
−
and shell weight (e.g. [LOM 10]).
CO
Figure 5.7.
Relationship between the mass of coccoliths from a large collection of
samples covering different oceans: a) map of the locations of the samples and
different timescales, and the carbonate chemistry; b) concentration in carbonate ions;
c) partial pressure in CO
2
. According to [BEA 11] (see color section)
Pteropods are planktonic gastropod mollusks, the shell of which is
made of aragonite, one of the most soluble forms of calcium carbonate
(see the Appendix, section 5.8). These organisms are present in all
oceans, but are particularly abundant in high latitude regions where
they are an important component of the food chain. This is one of the
reasons for which the vast majority of studies carried out on the effect
of ocean acidification on pteropods that were carried out on high
