Coccolith

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coccolith

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name of representative species?Emiliania huxleyi (a globally abundant coccolithophore)
2. What is the biomineralization process?Intracellular precipitation of calcite (calcium carbonate) onto an organic matrix
3. What are coccoliths?Coccoliths are tiny, jewel‑like plates made of calcium carbonate by single‑cell ocean plants called coccolithophores. They form the hard shell around each cell.
4. How do coccoliths help scientists learn about the past?Scientists study fossil coccoliths in marine sediments and chalk. The shapes, species, and chemical fingerprints tell us about ancient sea temperatures, salinity, and climate.

Biomineralization: The biological process by which living organisms produce minerals, such as coccoliths.
Coccolithophore: A diverse group of single-celled phytoplankton characterized by the presence of calcium carbonate plates (coccoliths).
Ocean Acidification: The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
Biological Carbon Pump: A process that transfers carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean through biological activity.