Santa Fe Institute

Environmental Modeling

• Instructor(s): Hurtt/Frolking
• Institution: University of New Hampshire, CRCS
• Category: Biology
• Description: Course focuses on techniques for ecosystem, biogeochemical and hydrological modeling. Readings from the current literature; review of existing models and of methods of model evaluation. Course goals including understanding key principles, types, and techniques of environmental modeling; improving quantitative skills and their application to scientific issues; building simple models, and apply these models to address environmental questions; critical analysis of environmental models (analysis); reading, discussing, and evaluating the use and results of models in scientific applications. Survey of some basic quantitative techniques used in analysis and modeling of biogeochemical cycles--e.g., basic differential equations, stock and flow systems, chemical rate equations, and energy balances. Modeling exercises in laboratory sessions. Major term project in which students each develop their own model, related to a topic of their interest.