If you know what diatoms are, it’s probably for their beauty.
If you know what diatoms are, it’s probably for their beauty. These single-celled algae found on the ocean floor have ornate glassy shells that shine like jewels under the microscope.
Their pristine geometry has inspired art, but diatoms also play a key role in ocean chemistry and ecology. While they are alive, these algae contribute to the climate by drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, while fueling marine food webs.
Now, a team led by Georgia Tech scientists has revealed that diatoms leave a chemical fingerprint long after they die, playing an even more dynamic role in regulating Earth’s climate than once thought.
In a study published in Science Advances, the researchers found that diatoms’ intricate, silica-based skeletons transform into clay minerals in as little as 40 days. Until the 1990s, scientists believed that this enigmatic process took hundreds to thousands of years. Recent studies whittled it down to single-digit years.
Read More: Georgia Institute of Technology
Image: Diatoms, the beautiful baubles of the sea, boast form and function in ocean ecosystems. (Credit: NSF Polar Programs)
