Calibration of a productivity model for the microalgae Dunaliella salina accounting for light and temperature

This study aimed to calibrate a productivity model for the algal species Dunaliella salina accounting for the impacts of light intensity and temperature. The calibration was performed by using a dedicated experimental setup measuring short-term oxygen production rates at different light intensities. The rate of photosynthesis was shown to follow a typical Monod function of light intensity. The slope of photosynthesis-light curves at low light intensity was also shown to be independent on temperature and the evolution of model parameters with temperature obeyed relationships consistent with previous observations in the literature. Finally, the rate of respiration was shown to follow an exponential function of temperature. This good level of agreement with prior observations in the literature indirectly validates the experimental technique used for model calibration. The resulting model should therefore yield accurate productivity predictions in outdoor cultivation systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.