DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS

• The amount of CaCl₂ required to induce whiting events was reproducible in our experiments.
• Nucleation occurred more readily in unfiltered Pyramid Lake waters and filtered waters with added phytoplankton. This indicates that microscopic particles in Pyramid Lake enhance nucleation of aragonite and could be an important factor leading to spontaneous whiting events.
• Although phytoplankton appear to enhance nucleation, they do not affect surface growth mechanisms of the aragonite crystals once they have formed.