Objectives
The primary objective is to establish an interdisciplinary knowledge platform on fundamental production biology and technology for macroalgae cultivation over a wide range of climatic, ecological and physical conditions.
Secondary objectives are:
- To increase the principal knowledge on biological performance and environmentalrequirements for optimized chemical composition and biomass production
- To obtain technological specifications and develop generic model and simulation tools for farm systems and biomass production.
The brown kelps Saccharinalatissima and Alaria esculenta (large volumes, low value), and the red alga Palmaria palmata (small volumes, high value) will be studied as promising species for industrial cultivation in Norway.
The project will deliver knowledge on seedling quality, sea cultivation, fouling and diseases and functional genetics of selected brown and red macroalgae species.
Growth models for these species will be developed and coupled with 3D hydrodynamics‐ecosystem models to estimate site‐dependent biomass production, and methods for efficient seeding, deployment and harvest. Drag forces and deformation of different farm systems at different sea states will be determined in flume tank experiments. A numerical model for simulation and visualization of farm designs in dynamic marine systems will be developed.