Synergistic effects of temperature and light intensity on growth and physiological performance in Chaetoceros calcitrans

•Temperature and light intensity have a strong synergistic effect on growth of C. calcitrans.•Higher temperature significantly facilitates growth of C. calcitrans.•Stronger light intensity damages photosynthetic efficiency and pigment content in C. calcitrans.•Higher temperature synergized with moderate light intensity should be adopted in actual C. calcitrans production.