Planktonic foraminifera, tiny marine organisms essential to the ocean’s carbon cycle, are shrinking at an alarming rate. Elevated CO2 levels and acidifying waters are making it harder for them to form shells, putting survival at risk. Attempting to adapt, some have begun migrating to cooler waters, but environmental changes are occurring faster than they can keep up with. Rising CO₂ levels and ocean acidification reduce formation of calcium carbonate from which foraminifera build their shells. Since the empty shells of deceased plankton sink to the seafloor, less carbon is stored when shell production decreases.
www.mpic.de/5618027/klimawandel-bedroht-planktongruppen-im-meer