Scientists warn that the climate models used to predict Earth's future are missing a vital link in the ocean: calcifying plankton. These microscopic organisms, such as coccolithophores, foraminifers, and pteropods, help regulate the planet's temperature by capturing carbon and moving it through the deep sea.

According to the researchers, current models often simplify or entirely ignore these tiny creatures. This means the models overlook critical processes like shallow dissolution, a phenomenon where the plankton's shells dissolve in the upper layers of the ocean. The team argues that scientists must urgently add these details to their simulations to make climate predictions more accurate.