Dynamic Modeling of Environmental Systems

Hardcover  XVI + 194 pp, 87 figs., with CD-ROM  ISBN 0387988807      £43.00

Includes CD-ROM

A primer on modeling concepts and applications that is specifically geared toward the environmental field. Sections on modeling terminology, the uses of models, the model-building process, and the interpretation of output provide the foundation for detailed applications. After an introduction to the basics of dynamic modeling, the book leads students through an analysis of several environmental problems, including surface-water pollution, matter-cycling disruptions, and global warming. The scientific and technical context is provided for each problem, and the methods for analyzing and designing appropriate modeling approaches is provided. An accompanying CD for both Macintosh and Windows computers contains a run-time version of STELLA modeling software with models from the text. While the mathematical content does not exceed the level of a first-semester calculus course, the book gives students all of the background, examples, and practice exercises needed both to use and understand environmental modeling. It is suitable for upper-level undergraduate and beginning-graduate level environmental professionals seeking an introduction to modeling in their field.

Contents:

• Overview of Environmental Systems
• Basic Modeling Concepts in Environmental Systems Models
• Strategies for Analyzing and Using Environmental Systems Models
• Modeling Predator-Prey Systems
• Modeling Surface Water Contamination
• Matter Cycling in Ecosystems
• Modeling Mobile Source Air Pollution Inventories
• Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming
• Atmospheric Chemistry and Pollution Transport

Series: Modeling Dynamic Systems.