{"686231":{"#nid":"686231","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tiny Diatoms, Big Climate Impact: How Microscopic Skeletons Rapidly Shape Ocean Chemistry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you know what diatoms are, it\u2019s probably for their beauty. These single-celled algae found on the ocean floor have ornate glassy shells that shine like jewels under the microscope.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir pristine geometry has \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aeon.co\/videos\/amazing-hidden-worlds-become-visible-through-a-forgotten-victorian-art-form\u0022\u003Einspired art\u003C\/a\u003E, but diatoms also play a key role in ocean chemistry and ecology. While they are alive, these algae contribute to the climate by drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, while fueling marine food webs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, a team led by Georgia Tech scientists has revealed that diatoms leave a chemical fingerprint long after they die, playing an even more dynamic role in regulating Earth\u2019s climate than once thought.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adt3374\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E published in \u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E, the researchers found that diatoms\u2019 intricate, silica-based skeletons transform into clay minerals in as little as 40 days. Until the 1990s, scientists believed that this enigmatic process took hundreds to thousands of years. Recent studies whittled it down to single-digit years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve known that reverse weathering shapes ocean chemistry, but no one expected that it happens this fast,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/node\/4478\u0022\u003EYuanzhi Tang\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and senior author of the study. \u201cThis shows that the molecular-scale reactions can reverberate all the way up to influence ocean carbon cycling and, ultimately, climate.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Glass to Clay\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a diatom dies, most of its silica skeleton dissolves on the seafloor, returning silica to the seawater. The rest can undergo reverse weathering \u2014 a process that transforms the silica into new clay minerals containing trace metals, while turning naturally sequestered carbon back to the atmosphere as sediments react with seawater. This recycling links silicon, carbon, and trace-metal cycles, influencing ocean chemistry and stabilizing the planet\u2019s climate over time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETang and her team set out to uncover how, and how quickly, reverse weathering happens. Using a custom-built, two-chamber reactor, they recreated seafloor conditions in the lab. One chamber held diatom silica, while the other contained iron and aluminum minerals. A thin membrane allowed dissolved elements to mix while keeping the solids separate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing advanced microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical analyses, the researchers tracked the full transformation from the dissolution of diatom shells to the formation of new clays.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results were striking. Within just 40 days, the diatom silica became iron-rich clay minerals \u2014 the same minerals naturally found in marine sediments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETang noted that this rapid transformation means that reverse weathering isn\u2019t a slow background process, but rather an active part of the modern ocean\u2019s chemistry. It can control how much silica stays available for diatoms to grow, how much carbon dioxide is released or stored, and how trace metals and nutrients are recycled in marine ecosystems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was remarkable to see how quickly diatom skeletons could turn into completely new minerals and to decipher the mechanisms behind this process,\u201d said Simin Zhao, the paper\u2019s first author and a former Ph.D. student in Tang\u2019s lab.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cThese transformations are small in size but are enormous in their implications for global elemental cycles and climate,\u201d she added.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results suggest that the influence of reverse weathering on the coupled silicon-carbon cycles may also respond on far shorter timescales, making the ocean\u2019s chemistry more dynamic \u2014 and potentially more sensitive to modern environmental changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDiatoms are central to marine ecosystems and the global carbon pump,\u201d said Jeffrey Krause, co-author and oceanographer at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.disl.edu\/\u0022\u003EDauphin Island Sea Lab\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.southalabama.edu\/colleges\/artsandsci\/marinesciences\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of South Alabama\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cWe already knew their importance to ocean processes while living.\u0026nbsp; Now we know that even after they die, diatoms\u2019 remains continue to shape ocean chemistry in ways that affect carbon and nutrient cycling. That\u2019s a game-changer for how we think about these processes.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discovery also helps solve a long-standing mystery about what happens to silica in the ocean, Tang says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists have long known that more silica enters the ocean than gets buried on the seafloor. The findings suggest that rapid reverse weathering transforms much of it into new minerals instead, keeping ocean chemistry in balance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Atoms to Earth Systems and Beyond\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings offer new data for climate modelers studying how the ocean regulates atmospheric carbon. The research also lays the groundwork for improving models of ocean alkalinity and coastal acidification \u2014 key tools for predicting how the planet will respond to climate change. \u201cThis study changes how scientists think about the seafloor, not as a passive burial ground, but as a dynamic chemical engine,\u201d Tang said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETang sees the study as a powerful reminder of why basic research matters. \u201cThis is where chemistry meets Earth systems,\u201d she said. \u201cBy understanding how minerals form and exchange elements at the atomic level, we can see how the ocean shapes global cycles of carbon, silicon, and metals.\u0026nbsp;Even molecular-scale reactions within hair-sized organisms can ripple outward to shape planet-level dynamics.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team\u2019s next steps are to explore how environmental factors such as water chemistry influence these transformations. They also plan to use samples from coastal and deep-sea sites to see how these lab discoveries translate to natural environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s easy to overlook what\u2019s happening quietly in marine sediments,\u201d Tang said. \u201cBut these subtle mineral reactions are part of the machinery that regulates Earth\u2019s climate, and they\u2019re faster and more beautiful than we ever imagined.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECitation\u003C\/strong\u003E: Simin Zhao \u003Cem\u003Eet al\u003C\/em\u003E., Rapid transformation of biogenic silica to authigenic clay: Mechanisms and geochemical constraints. \u003Cem\u003ESci. Adv\u003C\/em\u003E. 11, eadt3374 (2025).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDOI\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adt3374\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adt3374\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding\u003C\/strong\u003E: National Science Foundation (OCE-1559087; OCE-1558957)\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThese tiny seafloor transformations are reshaping our understanding of how ocean sediments regulate carbon and climate.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"These tiny seafloor transformations are reshaping our understanding of how ocean sediments regulate carbon and climate."}],"uid":"36123","created_gmt":"2025-11-05 19:54:47","changed_gmt":"2026-01-08 21:08:18","author":"Catherine Barzler","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678550":{"id":"678550","type":"image","title":"diatoms.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDiatoms, the beautiful baubles of the sea, boast form and function in ocean ecosystems. (Credit: Adobe Stock)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1762372499","gmt_created":"2025-11-05 19:54:59","changed":"1762372499","gmt_changed":"2025-11-05 19:54:59","alt":"Colorful diatoms under a microscope. ","file":{"fid":"262602","name":"diatoms.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/diatoms.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/diatoms.png","mime":"image\/png","size":9385200,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/11\/05\/diatoms.png?itok=A24CNYNQ"}},"678551":{"id":"678551","type":"image","title":"Yuanzhi-Tang-pic2.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EYuanzhi Tang\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1762373386","gmt_created":"2025-11-05 20:09:46","changed":"1762373386","gmt_changed":"2025-11-05 20:09:46","alt":"Yuanzhi Tang, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and senior author of the study","file":{"fid":"262603","name":"Yuanzhi-Tang-pic2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/Yuanzhi-Tang-pic2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/Yuanzhi-Tang-pic2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1451744,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/11\/05\/Yuanzhi-Tang-pic2.jpg?itok=KA_43jNt"}}},"media_ids":["678550","678551"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECatherine Barzler, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:catherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ecatherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["catherine.barzler@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}