The Biological Calcium Carbonate Pump in the Norwegian and Barents Seas: Regulation Mechanisms

This paper reports on a study of the phytoplankton calcium carbonate pump in the Norwegian and Barents seas in July–August 2017. Coccolithophores, a unique marine phytoplankton group, are an important supplier of calcite to bottom sediments. In the seas under study, coccolithophores were represented by the two species Emiliania huxleyi and Coccolithus pelagicus. Intensive C. pelagicus growth has been detected in the Barents Sea for the first time. The contribution of these species to calcite production has been assessed, and the main environmental factors that promote their bloom have been identified. The data obtained provide bases for prediction of the distribution of these species and, as a consequence, for identification of the specificities of the functioning of a calcium carbonate pump.