1.2 Systems and models rs Everything is haan linked t } + everything else teesSignificant ideas: e Asystems approach can help in the study of complex environmental issues. e The use of systems and models simplifies interactions but may provide a more holistic view without reducing issues to single processes.A systems approach is a way of visualizing a complex set of interactions which may be ecological or societal. Eont’s Systoms SYSTEM: an assemblage of parts and their relationship forming a functioning entirety or whole. Useful to understanding and explaining phenomena’s By focusing on the interactions instead of the different parts, we can more clearly see the big picture of how our world Works.A bicycle Bicycle parts piled on the floor. C) ° Is This a system? t=)These interactions produce the emergent properties of the system: © Why the system as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. © The interactions of the parts create something they could not produce independently. Each part has a specialized function. Similar parts are grouped together. © ex: two forest stands may contain the same tree species, but the spatial arrangement and size slructure of the individual irees will create different habitats for wildlife species. In this case, an emergent property of each stand is the wildlife habitat.Types of systems Environmental systems: = Global scale Includes abiotic and biotic components : Societal systems: + Value Systems + Economic Systems * Social SystemsEconomic System (Supply) a [fee hand aa ~ seen meEarth as a System e The Biosphere e Atmosphere Hydrosphere e Lithosphere Click on the imageSRLS eostasis (temperatve, cliScale of Environmental System Studying the Blue Ridge Mountain range of Northen Georgia are examples of local ecosystems Ona larger scale, we could study the Appalachian Mountains as a larger system affected by many factors inside and outside Eastern United States al rainforests of the Amazon or all + Even larger we could study the tro} the tropical rainforests on the Eart + Ona global scale the Earth functions as a system. The greenhouse effect raises temperatures on Earth by about 30°C but global warming could raise temperatures by at least 2°C over the next century.Asystem is comprised of storages and flows © Systems consist of: o Inputs: energy or matter enters a system. © Outputs: something produced at the end of a system ‘orage: areas where energy or matteris accumulated inside a system ‘ Flows: movement of energy or matter within.a, system Processes: transfer or transform energy or matter from storage to storage Feedback mechanisms that maintain stability and equilibrium Canopy Carbon Balance Se oeIn system diagrams, storages are usually represented as rectangular boxes and flows as arrows, with the direction of eh arrow indicating the direction of each flow. The size of the boxes and the arrows may be representative of the size/magnitude of the storage or flow All Systems Have Represented By: STORAGES Abox as Arrows —)> INPUTS Arrows in | > OUTPUTS Arrows out —_— Boundaries Lines PROCESSES Ex: respiration, precipitation, diffusionMr pg ee) HeatBoundary Input V_ Output energy | energy (_material i material information >! formation > EnvironmentThe flows provide inputs and outputs of energy and matter e Energy initially enters ecosystems from the sun as light. (flows) @ Itis converted and stored as chemical potential energy e Organic molecules pass through down through chains. /Respiration releases this energy All energy enters an ecosystem and is lost again.Matter cycles through an ecosystem. © Nitrogen is fixed by bacteria e Plants assimilate the nitrogen e Herbivores consume these plants and the nitrogen compounds pass through the food chain. e Eventually the plants or animals will die and decomposer break down organic matter and return it to the soil.Space a Radkation Envi rt nage nvironmen: Sun solar Raciatior Plants —o.., Dispersal Plants Moratie Animals Migration, Erosion Erosion ( and Soil _pineaton Ee Sail Organic Organic Matter MatterThe flows are processes that may be either transfers (a change in location) or transformations (a change in chemical nature, a change in state or a change in energy 0 Transformations move energy and matter but in the process of doing so there is a change of state or form. Water changes state from solid, to (quid to gas (matter). “Incoming light is transformed into heat as it is re-radiated from the earth’s surface (energy). +Energy is converted into matter during photosynthesis. Matter is converted into heat and light energy during combustion of matterO Transfers simply move energy or matter from one place to another without changing it in anyway. Matter moves through a system, water flows in rivers moving across the land. *Ocean currents move energy ‘ound the planet, the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift take heat from the equator and move it pole wards. *The food web moves matter through the living organisms in its links.Construct a system diagram or a model from a given set of information 0 Where would these fit in this carbon cycle system diagram? 0 Abiotic element 0 Autotrophs 0 Primary consumers Secondary consumers 0 Tertiary consumers1.2.S1 Construct a system diagram or a model from a given set of information = See et ee Ci ene teAn open system exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary while a closed system exchanges only energy across its boundary Open system: a system in which both materials and energy are exchanged across the boundaries of the system Mass In Mass Out Most common system Example: Rainforest, gyster Ecosystems Boundary Energy Out Energy InAn open system exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary while a closed system exchanges only energy across its boundary cg Mana A Se ile fey eae hte 3 Pan ee nine a ee 4 evita Mier teen Ree eee ack eee ever sc, 2 ee neue eR Mec: ame | se Closed System: A system in which energy is exchanged across the boundaries but matter is not. THIS IS VERY RAREI!! e Examples: The Whole / Earth... maybe, Experimentally e Global geochemical cycles system approximate a closed Boundary system Energy Out No Mass. transfer Energy InEcosystems are open systems; closed systems only exist experimentally, although the global geochemical cycles approximate to closed systems The major global cycles are all closed ems the nitrogen cycle, + the carbon cycle + the hydrological cycle.An open system exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary while a closed system exchanges only energy across its boundary Biosphere 2 Click on the image to watch the videoAn isolated system is a hypothetical concept in which neither energy nor matter is exchanged across the boundary | The Universe No Energy transferAmodel is a simplified version of reality and can be used to understand how a system works and to predict how it will respond to change The most common in ESS are systems and simulations.A model inevitably involves some approximations and therefore loss of accuracy Energy from the sun +— Primary Producers +—— Primary Consumers ¥ [Detritivores| at all levels Energy loss IKey: =e Energy Biomass - size relative to quantity of biomass‘respiration decomposition ae EeA model inevitably involves some approximations and therefore loss of accuracy | 1 Leaving parts out changes the functionally of the whole (emergent properties) Doing so increases enereen an decreases accuracyAdvantages Can predict and simplify complex systems Bring out patterns Simplified versions of real life Inputs can be changed and outputs examined without waiting for real events Results can be shown to others Evaluate the use of models as a tool in a given situation, for example, climate change predictions Disadvantages Lack of de may not be accurate Rely on the expertise of those making it Different people may interpret them in different ways Vested interests may hijack them politically Only as good as the data that goes in Different models may show different effects with same dataEvaluate the use of models as a tool in a given situation, for example, climate change predictions e Click on the climate model simulations below. Discuss the strengths and weakness of each of these models. Which model is best for understanding climate change? Justify and support your answer with Avidence. ° Concord Consortium Climate Model o Window's to the Universe Climate Model o Koshland Science Museum Climate Model o UCAR Climate Mode! o Java Climate Model