Using Coccolithophorid Algae to Combat the Climate Crisis

by Emily Douglas, Chemistry Major, 2025

There is no question that the world today is facing higher percentages of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, in our atmosphere. With 412.5 parts per million of CO2 as of 2020 , this number has surpassed the precedent amount of carbon dioxide to ever be in our atmosphere (Lindsay, 2021). The detrimental effect of these greenhouse gasses is that they create what is known as the greenhouse effect, in which the sunlight reflected by Earth’s surface does not escape the atmosphere, thus resulting in rising temperatures. The increase of the Earth’s temperature will have detrimental effects, including an increase in sea levels, change in precipitation patterns, intense droughts and heatwaves, and many other disastrous effects. This has become a worldwide concern; countries have been coming together to tackle this issue through acts such as the Paris Climate Agreement. These agreements to reduce the emissions of CO2 are a step in the right direction, but what the world needs is a sustainable solution along with these efforts.

Coccolithophorid Algae. Photo courtesy of JAMSTEC.

The Coccolithophorid Algae is a marine unicellular, eukaryotic phytoplankton. The species is unique in that they contain chlorophyll, conduct photosynthesis, and possess special plates or scales known as coccoliths, created through the process of calcification. The phenomenon of calcification in algae is the deposition of calcium carbonate after the organism absorbs carbon dioxide from its surroundings. This mechanism is known for the depletion of aqueous carbon dioxide. For this reason, Coccolithophorid Algae has attracted global interest because of its many remedial advantages. Coccolithophorid Algae could be very beneficial in reducing CO2 in the atmosphere through the high CO2 levels necessary for the organism’s photosynthesis. The sustainability of this method relies strongly on the calcification process in which the algae produces calcium carbonate that encases the organism and sinks it to the bottom of the ocean. This creates a marine carbon sink, trapping the CO2 and eliminating it from the atmosphere. Therefore, the process of carbon fixation could be a viable solution for the greenhouse gas crisis.

Design of CO2 fixation by artificial weathering of waste concrete and culture. Photo courtesy of ResearchGate.

A study conducted in the United Kingdom proved this theory. Scientists at the University of Essex grew a non-calcifying strain of the marine coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi, with an air of 360 or 2000 ppm CO2, under high and lowlight conditions, and in seawater either filled with or deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus. The researchers found, “increased atmospheric CO2 concentration enhances CO2 fixation into organic matter,” but “only under certain conditions, namely high light, and nutrient limitation.” and this proved that “enhanced CO2 uptake by phytoplankton such as E. huxleyi, in response to elevated atmospheric CO2, could increase carbon storage in the nitrogen-limited regions of the oceans and thus act as a negative feedback on rising atmospheric CO2 levels” (Leonardos, Nikos & Geider, Richard, 2005). This study makes it increasingly evident that algae have valuable abilities through photosynthesis. If this could be expanded on the CO2 in our atmosphere and oceans, the greenhouse effect can be reduced.

Furthermore, the Coccolithophorid Algae has already been reproducing rapidly due to rising CO2 levels. A study done in 2008 by researcher Iglesias-Rodriguez, et al. determined there had been a 40% increase in oceanic coccolith mass over the past 220 years. Based on data obtained from a sediment core extracted from the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, the scientists deduced that the atmosphere’s CO2 concentration had risen by approximately 90 ppm (Halloran, Hall, Colmenero-Hidalgo & Rickaby, 2008). In the researchers’ words, this revealed “a changing particle volume since the late 20th century consistent with an increase in the mass of coccoliths produced by the larger coccolithophore species” (p. 1615). Coccolithoprod Algae has already been reproducing rapidly due to rising CO2 levels.

In the future, it may be useful to explore other ways algae could create a more sustainable world. Algae is used to produce biofuels, fuels derived directly from living matter. Therefore, it can provide a more sustainable alternative to carbonproducing fossil fuels, like petroleum. Algae is known to produce as much as 5,000 biofuel gallons from a single acre in one year, and the US Government first explored algae as a petroleum alternative during the energy crisis in the 1970s (Rothstein, 2008). They ultimately abandoned the project in the 1990s because they could not make it competitive with the pricing of petroleum Rothstein, 2008). However, with the rising costs of oil and an imperative to find cleanenergy solutions, oil companies such as Exxon and venture capitalists are pouring money into solving the algae-as-fuel equation.

Furthermore, Dutch designers Eric Klarenbeek and Maartje Dros use algae to create polymers that can be used in 3D printing as a replacement for plastic. “In principle, we can make anything from this local algae polymer: from shampoo bottles to tableware or rubbish bins,” says the firm’s project coordinator Johanna Weggelaar (Diaz, 2017, para. 6). According to Lamm (2019) their goal is to “ultimately turn an industrial manufacturing process—a source of pollution that contributes to global warming—into a way to subtract CO2 from the atmosphere. Using algae as a raw material would turn any mode of production into a way to help the environment” (para. 14). “In principle, we can make anything from this local algae polymer: from shampoo bottles to tableware or rubbish bins”

(Diaz, 2017, para. 6).

Coccolithophorid Algae should be utilized in the future as a means of negative feedback on rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Research shows that coccolithophorid algae are efficient in their carbon fixating abilities, and that species of the algae increased coccolith production as a result of anthropogenic CO2 release. Overall, this could be a sustainable and efficient solution to the rising CO2 levels in our atmosphere and benefit us as a society.

References

1. Diaz, J. (2017, December 18). The Creators Of This Algae Plastic Want To Start A Maker Revolution. Fast Company. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90154210/the-creatorsof-this-algae-plastic-want-to-start-a-maker-revolution.

2. Halloran, Hall, Colmenero-Hidalgo, & Rickaby. (2008). Evidence for a multi-species coccolith volumechange over the past two centuries: understanding a potential ocean acidification response. Biogeosciences,5(6), 1651–1655. https://hero.epa.gov/hero/index.cfm/reference/details/reference_id/2604735.

3. Lamm, B. (2019, October 1). Algae might be a secret weapon to combating climate change. QUARTZ.Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://qz.com/1718988/algae-might-be-a-secret-weapon-tocombatting-climate-change/.

4. Leonardos, Nikos & Geider, Richard. (2005). Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide increases organiccarbon fixation by Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta), under nutrient-limited high-light conditions. Journalof Phycology, 41, 1196 - 1203.10.1111/j.1529-8817.2005.00152.x.

5. Lindsay, R. (2021, October 17). Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. Climate.gov. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2022, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-changeatmospheric-carbon-dioxide.

6. Rothstein, M. (2008, December 3). Why Algae Will Save Us From the Energy Crisis. Esquire. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2022, from https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a5310/algae-save-energy-crisis-1208/.