Substantial findings indicate photosynthetic picoplankton, picocyanobacteria, and phytoplankton activity creates favorable conditions for carbonate precipitation. This link arises as a result of [http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/02_02/bloom_art.shtml planktonic blooms] being observed coinciding with the events. Subsequently, via photosynthesis, these organisms uptake inorganic carbon, raise water pH, and alter water alkalinity, which promotes calcium carbonate precipitation. The thermodynamic influence of inorganic carbon on whiting calcium carbonate production is shown in the equation below. Furthermore, cases exist in which the type of calcium carbonate found in the whiting cloud matches the type found on local cyanobacteria membranes. Its hypothesized that the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) these microorganisms produce can act as seed crystals that provide a start for the precipitation process. Current research on the specifics of these EPS and the exact physiological mechanisms of the microorganisms carbon uptake, however, are limited.
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