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

Oren et al. Saline Systems 2006 2:4   doi:10.1186/1746-1448-2-4