Global warming may boost algae growth

LONDON, April 19 (UPI) -- British researchers said global warming may increase ocean plankton calcification and boost the development of algae.

Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre and the University of Oxford said increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing microscopic ocean plants to produce greater amounts of calcium carbonate that increase the growth of coccolithophores.

The single-cell, carbonate-encased algae are an important part of the of ocean food chain, The New York Times said Friday.

The report, published in the journal Science, said the rise in carbon dioxide produced by increased calcification is mitigated by its removal through increased photosynthesis.

"This work contradicts previous findings and shows, for the first time, that calcification by phytoplankton could double by the end of this century," the report said. "This is important because the majority of ocean calcification is carried out by coccolithophores such as Emiliania huxleyi and the amount of calcium carbonate produced at the ocean surface is known to have a direct influence on levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide."