Nannofossil

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SEM image of Scyphosphaera porosa, a rare deep-photic coccolithophore collected from the plankton on AMT Cruise 18 (November 2008, S. Atlantic, 130m depth). Imaged by Jeremy Young, University College London, UK, imaged at EMMA unit, The Natural History Museum, London.

Chair: Odysseus Archontikis (University of Oxford)
Secretary: Claire Routledge (University of Kiel)

Nannofossil Links

Calcareous nannofossils are often widespread, abundant and well-preserved in marine sediments in the geological record and are therefore a very useful biostratigraphic tool. Made of calcium carbonate, they can often be found in vast numbers, sometimes forming the major constituent of a particular rock e.g. the White Cliffs of Dover. Living and fossil nannoplankton are also important in the study of climate change and in palaeoceanographic and palaeoecological research.

The working group is open to academic and industrial scientists worldwide who are interested in the study of Calcareous Nannofossils. The group aims to bring workers together to disseminate knowledge and facilitate research. An annual joint meeting with the foram group takes place in the spring and other group activities include taxonomic workshops and field meetings.