Table 2 Theoretical calculated rates of flotation of square archaea in saltern brines, based on different values for cell dimensions, the nominal radius [(length × width × height)1/3], the K value (the ratio of the velocity of a sphere with a radius equal to the nominal radius of the particle and the velocity of the particle), as calculated according to algorithms given by McNown and Malaika [39], and the difference in density between the brine and the cells. The "cell" with dimensions 24 × 24 × 0.15 μm represents a sheet of 8 × 8 3 μm-wide cells, such as observed occasionally in brine pools [21].
Cell dimensions (μm) | Nominal radius (μm) | K value | (ρ1 – ρ2) (kg m-3) | Flotation rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(m s-1) | (mm day-1) | ||||
2 × 2 × 0.2 | 0.98 | 1.98 | -30 | 15.8 × 10-9 | 1.37 |
2.5 × 2.5 × 0.2 | 1.08 | 1.84 | -30 | 20.1 × 10-9 | 1.80 |
3 × 3 × 0.15 | 1.11 | 2.31 | -30 | 17.4 × 10-9 | 1.51 |
24 × 24 × 0.15 | 4.42 | 4.61 | -30 | 138 × 10-9 | 11.9 |
2 × 2 × 0.2 | 0.98 | 1.98 | -130 | 68.7 × 10-9 | 5.9 |
2.5 × 2.5 × 0.2 | 1.08 | 1.84 | -130 | 89.7 × 10-9 | 7.8 |
3 × 3 × 0.15 | 1.11 | 2.31 | -130 | 75.5 × 10-9 | 6.5 |
24 × 24 × 0.15 | 4.42 | 4.61 | -130 | 600 × 10-9 | 51.8 |