Keywords
model integration, socio-environmental, socio-ecological, vegetation, agriculture
Start Date
27-6-2018 10:40 AM
End Date
27-6-2018 12:00 PM
Abstract
How did landscapes evolve as agriculture emerged thousands of year ago? How do we ensure sustainable food production and still maintain environmental quality? Integrated socio-environmental models help provide answers to these two seemingly distant, yet related questions. For practical purposes, in this paper we use the terms socio-ecological and socio-environmental systems, with acronym SES as synonyms. The Mediterranean Landscape Dynamics (MedLand) project aims to develop experimental SES models made possible by recent advances in computation while exercising interdisciplinary collaboration. In this paper, we exemplify one aspect of this integration by discussing the development of a vegetation model, which at the outset provides the future links to agent-based models of societal dynamics and process-based models of landform evolution. While designing a vegetation model specific to the needs of the MedLand SES workbench, we preserve those aspects of vegetation dynamics that yield a generic model applicable to other systems. We model vegetation using an individual-based (or gap-model) approach with detailed biological interaction of plants with fire. For this purpose, we use components of existing models of Mediterranean vegetation dynamics. As part of the integration challenge, we discuss spatial and temporal scales, resolution, and future prospects for integration analysis based on sensitivity of integrated model to coupling parameters.
Integrating socio-environmental models: vegetation, agriculture, and landform dynamics
How did landscapes evolve as agriculture emerged thousands of year ago? How do we ensure sustainable food production and still maintain environmental quality? Integrated socio-environmental models help provide answers to these two seemingly distant, yet related questions. For practical purposes, in this paper we use the terms socio-ecological and socio-environmental systems, with acronym SES as synonyms. The Mediterranean Landscape Dynamics (MedLand) project aims to develop experimental SES models made possible by recent advances in computation while exercising interdisciplinary collaboration. In this paper, we exemplify one aspect of this integration by discussing the development of a vegetation model, which at the outset provides the future links to agent-based models of societal dynamics and process-based models of landform evolution. While designing a vegetation model specific to the needs of the MedLand SES workbench, we preserve those aspects of vegetation dynamics that yield a generic model applicable to other systems. We model vegetation using an individual-based (or gap-model) approach with detailed biological interaction of plants with fire. For this purpose, we use components of existing models of Mediterranean vegetation dynamics. As part of the integration challenge, we discuss spatial and temporal scales, resolution, and future prospects for integration analysis based on sensitivity of integrated model to coupling parameters.
Stream and Session
Stream A: Advanced Methods and Approaches in Environmental Computing. Session A2: Open Socio-environmental modeling and simulation.
Oral presentation.