Amazing close-up photo shows tiny warrior-like organism that fights climate change

Titled Ocean Warriors, this remarkable image of a coccolithophore is one of the 12 finalists in the 2024 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize and was selected because it shows the scientific value of specialized camera equipment or photographic processes.

The image was taken by Luke Brokensha, who is a research fellow and plankton ecologist with the Institute For Marine And Antarctic Studies at the University Of Tasmania in Hobart. It was taken using a Scanning Electron Microscope, from a sample collected by the Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder program (SO-CPR).

The image shows Calcidiscus leptoporus – a coccolithophore found drifting in the Southern Ocean. Coccolithophores are single-celled organisms which perform photosynthesis for the creation of energy, which in turn produces the oxygen that we breathe. They construct many intricate plates of armor – made of calcium carbonate – which they cover themselves with to protect their delicate internal cell from predation. Through their use of photosynthesis and the production of these shell plates, they have become a significant warrior in the fight against climate change, contributing to the biological carbon pump, drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to be recycled or stored in the ocean depths.

Brokensha's research is focused around the Continuous Plankton Recorder program for the Southern Ocean (SO-CPR), funded by IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System). This program samples the plankton found in the surface waters between the Australian and Antarctic continents. The data is used to track and map trends and changes to plankton communities through time and assess the impacts of climate change on the Southern Ocean. In his spare time, Luke is a keen climber, hiker, surfer, and canoeist; making the most of the many outdoor adventures that Tasmania has to offer.

Beaker Street’s annual Science Photography Prize invites all Tasmanians to showcase the wonders of the world of science and scientists. The Beaker Street Festival presents a program of science-infused entertainment and discussions. The festival precinct spans Hobart’s cultural and entertainment precincts, including the City Hall, the Tasmanian Museum And Art Gallery, the Hope & Anchor Tavern, the Old Mercury Building in Salamanca, along with many of Hobart’s best pubs, bars and restaurants. Next year's festival will run from August 12-19 2025. For more details visit www.beakerstreet.com.au .

To see more of the finalists in the Beaker Street Science Photography Prize visit www.beakerstreet.com.au/photography-prize .

See our guide to the best microscopes