. 24/7 Space News .
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Atom-by-atom growth chart for shells helps decode past climate
by Staff Writers
Davis CA (SPX) Oct 27, 2016


Foraminifera are marine organisms whose shells, buried in marine sediments, provide a record of past climate stretching back 200 million years. A new study by UC Davis, University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Lab applies material science techniques to understand how foraminifera build their shells, and may help improve our understanding of this climate record. Image shows the foraminiferan Orbulina universa. Image courtesy Howard Spero, UC Davis. For a larger version of this image please go here.

For the first time scientists can see how the shells of tiny marine organisms grow atom-by-atom, a new study reports. The advance provides new insights into the mechanisms of biomineralization and will improve our understanding of environmental change in Earth's past.

Led by researchers from the University of California, Davis and the University of Washington, with key support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the team examined an organic-mineral interface where the first calcium carbonate crystals start to appear in the shells of foraminifera, a type of plankton.

"We've gotten the first glimpse of the biological event horizon," said Howard Spero, a study co-author and UC Davis geochemistry professor. The findings were published Monday, Oct. 24, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Foraminifera's Final Frontier
The researchers zoomed into shells at the atomic level to better understand how growth processes may influence the levels of trace impurities in shells. The team looked at a key stage - the interaction between the biological 'template' and the initiation of shell growth.

The scientists produced an atom-scale map of the chemistry at this crucial interface in the foraminifera Orbulina universa. This is the first-ever measurement of the chemistry of a calcium carbonate biomineralization template, Spero said.

Among the new findings are elevated levels of sodium and magnesium in the organic layer. This is surprising because the two elements are not considered important architects in building shells, said lead study author Oscar Branson, a former postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis who is now at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Also, the greater concentrations of magnesium and sodium in the organic template may need to be considered when investigating past climate with foraminifera shells.

Calibrating Earth's Climate
Most of what we know about past climate (beyond ice core records) comes from chemical analyses of shells made by the tiny, one-celled creatures called foraminifera, or "forams." When forams die, their shells sink and are preserved in seafloor mud. The chemistry preserved in ancient shells chronicles climate change on Earth, an archive that stretches back nearly 200 million years.

The calcium carbonate shells incorporate elements from seawater - such as calcium, magnesium and sodium - as the shells grow. The amount of trace impurities in a shell depends on both the surrounding environmental conditions and how the shells are made. For example, the more magnesium a shell has, the warmer the ocean was where that shell grew.

"Finding out how much magnesium there is in a shell can allow us to find out the temperature of seawater going back up to 150 million years," Branson said.

But magnesium levels also vary within a shell, because of nanometer-scale growth bands. Each band is one day's growth (similar to the seasonal variations in tree rings). Branson said considerable gaps persist in understanding what exactly causes the daily bands in the shells.

"We know that shell formation processes are important for shell chemistry, but we don't know much about these processes or how they might have changed through time," he said. "This adds considerable uncertainty to climate reconstructions."

Atomic Maps
The researchers used two cutting-edge techniques: Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Laser-Assisted Atom Probe Tomography (APT). ToF-SIMS is a two-dimensional chemical mapping technique which shows the elemental composition of the surface of a polished sample. The technique was developed for the elemental analysis of complex polymer materials, and is just starting to be applied to natural samples like shells.

APT is an atomic-scale three-dimensional mapping technique, developed for looking at internal structures in advanced alloys, silicon chips and superconductors. The APT imaging was performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of California - Davis
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Concentration of CO2 in atmosphere hits new high: UN
Geneva (AFP) Oct 24, 2016
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has passed an ominous milestone, ushering the planet into "a new era" of climate change, the UN said Monday. For the first time on record, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere averaged 400 parts per million (ppm) in 2015, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. CO2, the main green ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA Shakes Up Orion Test Article for the Journey to Mars

Beaches, skiing and tai chi: Club Med, Chinese style

NASA begins tests to qualify Orion parachutes for mission with crew

New Zealand government open-minded on space collaboration

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Boosting Europe's all-electric satellites

Guiding Supply Ship to the International Space Station

The Pressure is On for SLS Hardware in Upcoming Test

First launch for Orbital's Antares rocket since '14 blast

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Did it crash or land? Search on for Europe's Mars craft

Rover Conducting Science Investigations at 'Spirit Mount'

MAVEN mission observes ups and downs of water escape from Mars

A graveyard of broken dreams and landers

CLIMATE SCIENCE
China to enhance space capabilities with launch of Shenzhou-11

Ambitious space satellite projects set for liftoff

China's permanent station plans ride on mission

China to enhance space capabilities with launch of Shenzhou-11

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Airbus DS contracts with Intelsat General for European Defence Communications

Final exams prepare Thomas Pesquet for launch

Airbus DS in partnership with Orbital ATK to build EUTELSAT 5 West B

Third party satellite launch order bookings for Isro stands at $42 million

CLIMATE SCIENCE
With new model, buildings may 'sense' internal damage

Fluorescent holography: Upending the world of biological imaging

Pushing the boundaries of magnet design

The smart wheelchair

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Oldest known planet-forming disk found

ALMA spots possible formation site of icy giant planet

Astronomers find oldest known planetary disk

Proxima Centauri might be more sunlike than we thought

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Uranus may have two undiscovered moons

Possible Clouds on Pluto, Next Target is Reddish

Curious tilt of the Sun traced to undiscovered planet

Shedding light on Pluto's glaciers









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.