Multi-scale modeling of intensive macroalgae cultivation and marine nitrogen sequestration
Open Access
- 7 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Communications Biology
- Vol. 4 (1), 1-11
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02371-z
Abstract
Multi-scale macroalgae growth models are required for the efficient design of sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally safe farms. Here, we develop a multi-scale model for Ulva sp. macroalgae growth and nitrogen sequestration in an intensive cultivation farm, regulated by temperature, light, and nutrients. The model incorporates a range of scales by incorporating spatial effects in two steps: light extinction at the reactor scale (1 m) and nutrient absorption at the farm scale (1 km). The model was validated on real data from an experimental reactor installed in the sea. Biomass production rates, chemical compositions, and nitrogen removal were simulated under different seasons, levels of dilution in the environment and water-exchange rate in the reactor. This multi-scale model provides an important tool for environmental authorities and seaweed farmers who desire to upscale to large bioremediation and/or macroalgae biomass production farms, thus promoting the marine sustainable development and the macroalgae-based bioeconomy.This publication has 64 references indexed in Scilit:
- Variance based sensitivity analysis of model output. Design and estimator for the total sensitivity indexComputer Physics Communications, 2010
- Modelling the distribution and growth of ‘problem’ green seaweed in the Medway estuary, UKPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,2009
- Bioremediation efficiency in the removal of dissolved inorganic nutrients by the red seaweed, Porphyra yezoensis, cultivated in the open seaWater Research, 2008
- A Mechanistic Investigation of the Algae Growth “Droop” ModelActa Biotheoretica, 2008
- Some thoughts on the concept of colimitation: Three definitions and the importance of bioavailabilityLimnology and Oceanography, 2008
- A Model for the Growth of Opportunistic Macroalgae (Enteromorpha sp.) in Tidal EstuariesEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2002
- Making best use of model evaluations to compute sensitivity indicesComputer Physics Communications, 2002
- Global sensitivity indices for nonlinear mathematical models and their Monte Carlo estimatesMathematics and Computers in Simulation, 2001
- The Energy Equation for Freezing of Biological TissueJournal of Heat Transfer, 1989
- Photosynthetic responses of Ulva lactuca at very low lightMarine Ecology Progress Series, 1988