Nannoplankton collections
False-coloured scanning electron micrograph of a complete Rhabdosphaera clavigera coccosphere from a plankton sample collected from the Mediterranean Sea
The nannoplankton collections housed by the Palaeontology Department are particularly important for ocean acidification studies. They contain both fossil and modern coccolithophores.
Our nannoplankton holdings include:
- an ODP nannofossil reference collection of approximately 5,000 slides covering the range of sediments recovered by the DSDP (Deep Sea Drilling Project) and ODP (Ocean Drilling Project). This is a key resource for coccolithophore research.
- a large number of Neogene and modern plankton samples