Are coccolithophore the antiheroes of the biological carbon pump? 🌊 The microscopic life in our oceans is essential to global carbon cycles and storage. They remove almost as much carbon dioxide from our air as all trees and land plants, helping to keep global temperature in check as anthropogenic CO2 rises. However, not all photosynthetic phytoplankton absorb CO2; some processes actually release carbon dioxide, counteracting the carbon-sequestering properties of the biological carbon pump. Som