One of the most serious impacts of burning fossil fuels has been the acidification of the world's oceans as carbon dioxide diffuses into the surface layers, causing a significant decrease in pH. These acidic conditions make the biomineralisation of calcareous shells increasingly difficult, thereby threatening biodiversity by causing the extinction of calcifying plankton ecosystems.
Coccolithophores are microalgae covered with small calcareous scales that play a central role in the carbon cycle in the world's oceans. The HI PH-IVE (Historical and current phytoplankton interactions with viruses: Emiliania huxleyi case study) project investigated how coccolithophores reacted to abrupt climate change.
Further details: Impact of ocean acidification on phytoplankton-virus interactions