A new study led by an international team, including researchers from The University of Western Australia, has discovered that a common marine organism could provide new ways to monitor ocean health and understand climate change.
The research, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), focuses on a widespread species of foraminifera – microscopic marine organisms that have existed for millions of years – called Textularia agglutinans.
Dr Aleksey Sadekov and Dr Hua Li from UWA’s Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation & Analysis, part of the international team that made the discovery, said the sea creatures had unique characteristics that made them an excellent recorder of environmental conditions.
“This particular species has a remarkable hidden feature – an inner shell made of calcium carbonate beneath its outer layer of gathered particles,” Dr Sadekov said.
“This dual-layer structure allows, for the first time, use of this type of foraminifera to study both past and present marine environments.”
The research revealed that T. agglutinans could effectively record water temperatures and track heavy metals from human activities, making it valuable for monitoring ocean health.
