Project A4

Frequency and diversity of calcifying phytoplankton under different CO2 levels

Michelle Sandbrink (PhD)

Principal Investigators: Jens O. Herrle, Rosie Sheward (Goethe-University Frankfurt), Jörg Bollmann (University of Toronto), Susanne Fritz (Senckenberg Biodiversity & Climate Research Centre)

The project focuses on calcifying phytoplankton under different atmospheric CO2 conditions during Cretaceous and Paleogene times. The goal is to assess the impact of global high and low CO2 conditions on the evolution of Coccolithophore communities, abundances, and carbonate flux rates. Methodologically, this encompasses calcareous nannoplankton taxonomy and state of the art polarizing- and scanning electron microscopic techniques and guided culture studies. International project partners include institutions from Canada (University of Toronto) and Germany (MARUM, University of Bremen).