Climate crisis

Look: Hidden fossils reveal a microscopic creature that may be resilient to climate change

Coccolithophores in black and white
Robin Mejia. Image courtesy Dr. Alison Taylor via Wikimedia Commons

Bloomberg Creative/Bloomberg Creative Photos/Getty Images

Today’s climate crisis is unprecedented thanks to human activity.

But historical climate fluctuations help researchers gauge how rising greenhouse gas levels will have a domino effect on modern ecosystems.

Take the oceans, for example.

Oceans are absorbing extremely high levels of CO2 from the atmosphere. In turn, the water is becoming more acidic and making it difficult for sea creatures to form strong bones and shells from declining levels of calcium carbonate in the water.

SkyHighStudios/RooM/Getty Images
Tap