David Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 – Modeling of Environmental SystemsDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 – Modeling of Environmental Systems• Our focus will be on the environment, a dynamic and living system in which the interactions of numerous biological, biophysical, and biogeochemical processes determine the rate and direction of change•A comprehensive understanding of the past and current status of the environment and prediction for its status in the future cannot be achieved without the help of computer-based modelsDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 – Modeling of Environmental Systems• Computer-based models can integrate natural history, physiological, and ecological information that has been gathered over many years by many people• Computer-based models can also simulate the environment in various hypothetical conditions (e.g. a common hypothetical condition in global climate change is doubling the CO2concentration)David Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 – Modeling of Environmental Systems• GEOG 110 takes a system view of the environment, and introduces the fundamental concepts and approaches in modeling of environmental systems• Environmental processes are driven by energy associated with the flow of matter(e.g. water and nutrients) • The course will be focused on modeling the dynamics of energy and matter flow through the environment, including the energy and matter flow in the natural environment, and in the presence of human disturbanceDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 – Modeling of Environmental Systems• Throughout the course, we will use the Stellasoftware as a tool to assist us in modeling environmental systems. The course is composed of three components: 1. Instructor lectures2. Hands-on lab experience in using Stella to model environmental systems3. In class discussions of exercisesDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Stella Software by High Performance Systems Inc.• The Stella software is a key ingredient in this course• Stella is designed to make constructing models as easy as possible:– It provides a conceptual framework for representing environmental systems– It provides a graphical-user interface driven, flowchart-style modeling environment–This minimizes the amount of computer science requiredDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Course Web Pagehttp://www.unc/edu/courses/2005fall/geog/110/001David Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Lectures and ReadingWeek Day Date Topic ReadingI. Modeling Concepts and Strategies1 Wednesday 31-Aug Course IntroductionFriday 2-Sep Principles of Global Environmental SystemsBotkin, Chapter 22 Monday 5-Sep Systems View of the Environment Deaton, pp. 1-12, Richmond, Ch. 2Wednesday 7-Sep Systems Approaches to Environmental Problems Deaton, pp. 12-21Friday 9-Sep Lab 1: Getting Started with Stella3 Monday 12-Sep Basic Modeling Concepts:Linear/Exponential Growth Deaton, pp. 28-43, Richmond, Ch. 3Wednesday 14-Sep Basic Modeling concepts:Overshoot and logistic growth Deaton, pp. 43-54Friday 16-Sep Lab 2: Modeling Growth and Decay Dynamics4 Monday 19-Sep Basic Modeling Concepts: Oscillation Deaton, pp. 54-58, Richmond, Ch. 4Wednesday 21-Sep Modeling Strategies I: Definition, Validation, Calibration Deaton, pp. 66-77Friday 23-Sep In class discussion: Page 21 exercises• Usually, lectures will be on Mondays and Wednesdays• I will post links to PDFs of the slides after the lecture• To best understand the material, you need to:• Do the reading before the lecture• Attend the lectures, take notes, and ask questionsDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Required Textbook•Dynamic Modeling of Environmental Systems by:•Michael L. Deaton &•James J. Winebrake•Used - $52.45, new -$69.95 at Student Stores•Includes Stella Softwarev5.11 on a CD-ROM (although we will make use of v7 for our labs)David Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Other Texts on Reserve at the Undergraduate Library•An Introduction to Systems Thinking by:•Barry Richmond•This texts goes more deeply into the ideas behind the Systems Viewas used in Stella•There are 5 copies on reserve at the House Undergraduate LibraryDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Other Texts on Reserve at the Undergraduate Library•There are two additional texts that will provide some of the background on modeling the flows of energy, water, and nutrients at both global and ecosystem scales:•Daniel B. Botkin and Edward A. Keller. 1995.Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet. USA: Wiley.•John Aber and Jerry Melillo. 2001. Terrestrial Ecosystems. 2ndEdition. USA: Academic Press.•There is one copy of each of these on reserveDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005GEOG 110 Texts – An Overview•Deaton & Winebrake – This is the course text that you really need to be reading (and also doing the accompanying exercises for each chapter)•Richmond – This provides supplementary material on the philosophy of Stella that may come in handy if you find that it doesn’t make sense to you•Botkin & Keller and Aber & Melillo – These provide details on ecosystems themselves that Deaton & Winebrake can’t get into (but we need)•ALSO: Online help for Stella for software issuesDavid Tenenbaum – GEOG 110 – UNC-CH Fall 2005Labs and In Class DiscussionWeek Day Date Topic ReadingI. Modeling Concepts and Strategies1 Wednesday 31-Aug Course IntroductionFriday 2-Sep Principles of Global Environmental SystemsBotkin, Chapter 22 Monday 5-Sep Systems View of the Environment Deaton, pp. 1-12, Richmond, Ch. 2Wednesday 7-Sep Systems Approaches to Environmental Problems Deaton, pp. 12-21Friday 9-Sep Lab 1: Getting Started with Stella3 Monday 12-Sep Basic Modeling Concepts:Linear/Exponential Growth Deaton, pp. 28-43, Richmond, Ch. 3Wednesday 14-Sep Basic Modeling concepts:Overshoot and logistic growth Deaton, pp. 43-54Friday 16-Sep Lab 2: Modeling Growth and Decay Dynamics4 Monday 19-Sep Basic Modeling Concepts: Oscillation Deaton, pp. 54-58, Richmond, Ch. 4Wednesday 21-Sep Modeling Strategies I: Definition, Validation, Calibration Deaton, pp. 66-77Friday 23-Sep In class discussion: Page 21 exercises• Labs and In Class Discussions will be on Fridays• Usually, these will alternate every other week (although holidays etc. mean that the schedule doesn’t work out