Bücher von Matthias Ruth

The oceans are shrinking. They're not literally shrinking; warming in the last century has actually expanded the sea enough to threaten low-lying coastal lands that are vul- nerable to storm surge. During the same interval, however, events on land have increasingly affected the sea. Since in most ways the Earth is a closed system-a zero-sum planet in today's parlance-as terrestrial influence on the sea expands, the sea's influence on its own processes shrinks. Control of many crucial marine processes no longer resides within the sea. The evidence for this is abundant and, to anyone who is looking, unmis- takable. In recent decades scientists have witnessed unprecedented pertur- bations and increases in previously uncommon events that demonstrate growing terrestrial influences on the sea. Numerous marine species, from sea urchins to monk seals, have experienced devastating epidemics. The number of harmful algal blooms and jellyfishpopulation explosions is rising An hypoxic "e;dead zone"e; in the Gulf of Mexico off the mouth of the Mississippi Rivernow appears each year and grows to encompass an area as large as NewJersey. Live coral cover in shallow reefs in Florida,Jamaica, the Maldives and many other locations has severely declined. Deepwater reef- building corals, once widely distributed, have disappeared throughout much of their ranges. Researchers have discovered high concentrations of persis- tent organic pollutants in declining populations of beluga whales and polar bears, both high trophic level predators in marine food webs.

This volume teaches computer modeling of biological systems using models created by STELLA software, including cell development, the beating heart and the spread of epidemics. It includes easy-to-use software modules that require no prior experience to use.

Models help us understand the dynamics of real-world processes by using the computer to mimic the actual forces that are known or assumed to result in a system's behavior. This book does not require a substantial background in mathematics or computer science.

The book uses STELLA software to develop simulation models, thus allowing readers to convert their understanding of a phenomenon to a computer model, and then run it to yield the inevitable dynamic consequences built into the structure. Part I provides an introduction to modeling dynamic systems, while Part II offers general modeling methods.

This volume pays tribute to economy--environment interactions simultaneously from an economic, ecological and physical perspective. Integrating Economics, Ecology and Thermodynamics provides a first step in identifying and combining the principles of economics, ecology and thermodynamics on a fundamental level.

Its models created using STELLA software, this new edition has been updated to facilitate student access. It explores the dynamic processes in economic systems and concentrates on natural resource extraction, covering everything from chaos to microeconomics.

This book introduces students to hands-on dynamic modeling in the context of disease, and challenges them to use their models and insights to explore interventions that may help restrain contagion.

This volume pays tribute to economy--environment interactions simultaneously from an economic, ecological and physical perspective. Integrating Economics, Ecology and Thermodynamics provides a first step in identifying and combining the principles of economics, ecology and thermodynamics on a fundamental level.