Ecosystem Modeling Committee

Ecosystem components are driven by complex variables. The importance of these variables changes as time progresses and geographic extents shrink and grow.

Identification of these variables adds one piece to the puzzle of how ecosystems work. However, if we can quantify the relationships between them, we can shed light on both the dynamics of the present and the shape(s) of the future.

The Ecosystem Modeling Committee

The Ecosystem Modeling Committee (EMC) has established standards for guiding the ecosystem modeling process for the BEST-BSIERP Bering Sea Project and other projects funded by NPRB.

Specifically, the EMC develops standards for achieving “interoperability” of models, such as:

• defining scales of resolution
• creating communication protocols for data serving and exchange
• identifying key variables and relationships
• developing experimental designs

More Computing Power = Richer Modeling

Advances in hardware and software have enabled researchers to create proxies of ecosystem functions and enrich them with large datasets. Each running of a model with new data and/or variables can add pieces to the puzzle -- or reveal more that are missing.