Adaptation of the MEC Plant Growth Model for an Antarctic Greenhouse

Abstract

As part of the EDEN ISS project, a sea container housing a greenhouse will be sent to Antarctica. The purpose of this work is the adaptation of the MEC plant growth model for this greenhouse in order to estimate its productivity and to assess the impact of the major in uencing factors. The adaptation measure is split into two parts: The incorporation of the EDEN ISS plant selection which differs strongly from the original MEC plant selection and the actual modelling while accounting for the architecture of the greenhouse and integrating a scheduling function. Using the System Dynamics approach, a simulation tool has been created that accepts user input in the form of a cultivation plan and then estimates the edible and inedible biomass the greenhouse produces. However, due to insufficient data, not all of the EDEN ISS plants are represented in the program.