Quantitative modeling of microalgae based sequestration of atmospheric CO2

Abstract

Marine microalgae have been identified as a considerable sink of atmospheric CO₂. Since macroscopic ecosystems cannot be studied experimentally with the required microscopic spatial resolution, a novel modeling method is being presented to quantify this sequestration process. The presented modeling studies indicate that the fixation of carbon by microalgae is species-specific and depends on competition effects among multiple species.