Assessing the Contribution of Foraminiferan Protists to Global Ocean Carbonate Production

Larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera are prominent and important producers of calcium carbonate in modern tropical environments. With an estimated production of at least 130 million tons of CaCO₃ per year, they contribute almost 5% of the annual present-day carbonate production in the world's reef and shelf areas (0-200 m) and approximately 2.5% of the CaCO₃ of all oceans. Together with non-symbiont-bearing smaller foraminifera, all benthic foraminifera are estimated to annually produce 200 million tons of calcium carbonate worldwide. The majority of foraminiferal calcite in modern oceans is produced by planktic foraminifera. With an estimated annual production of at least 1.2 billion tons, planktic foraminifera contribute more than 21% of the annual global ocean carbonate production. Total CaCO₃ of benthic and planktic foraminifera together amounts to 1.4 billion tons of calcium carbonate per year. This accounts to almost 25% of the present-day carbonate production of the oceans, and highlights the importance of foraminifera within the CaCO₃ budget of the world's oceans.