Computer Engineering Commons^™

Environmental Model Managment Within The Us Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew J. R. Gillespie

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is responsible for formulating and implementing environmental rules and regulations under several major US laws aimed at protecting human health and the environment. USEPA’s work strives to be grounded on a strong and rigorous scientific foundation which increasingly relies on models to improve understanding of complex human- environmental systems. USEPA decisions are frequently challenged in courts, so the underlying science needs to meet a high bar in terms of transparency and scientific rigor established through peer review. USEPA currently has no universal framework for managing models over a lifecycle. There is a grassroots …

Towards An Ontology Of Ecosystem Services For Modeling The Management Of Their Flows To And From Agriculture, Roger Martin-Clouaire

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The notion of ecosystem service and afferent concepts are gaining importance in the ecology, environment and sustainability-oriented literature. They have been defined differently and rather loosely however. Although convergence toward undisputed definitions is not attained yet, much structuring material has been used and published in scientific or policy-oriented documents. Since different perspectives exist, confusion and inconsistencies predominate across disciplines and agents involved in this relatively new domain. There is clearly a need for a consistent conceptual basis that could provide well-founded semantics and methodological guidelines to be used in the elaboration, evaluation, exploitation and communications of models of complex systems …

Transformative Modelling To Address High-­End Climate Change, J. David Tabara, Varun Mallampalli, Diana Mangalagiu, Marco Grasso, Jill Jäger, Andrea Roventini, Mark Borsuk, Francesco Lamperti, Robert Lempert

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The growing plausibility of a world trespassing the 2ºC global warming threshold is unveiling the limitations of existing assessment tools to tackle the multiple non-­linearities, irreversibilities, feedbacks, tipping points and uncertainties associated to entering this new situation. A main challenge for transformative modelling is to unveil potentially disruptive strategies and assess distributed solutions capable of addressing high-­end climate change while reconciling economic, climate and sustainability goals.

To this end, using a transformative Agent-­Based Modelling (t-­ABM) approach, we represent and assess the development and implementation of two distinct green growth strategies vis-­à-­vis a business-­as-­usual one. Strategy S1 is a distributed one, …

Behaviour Change And Incentive Modelling For Water Saving: First Results From The Smarth2o Project, J. Novak, M. Melenhorst, I. Micheel, C. Pasini, P. Fraternali, A. E. Rizzoli

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Stimulating users to save water is a challenge and an opportunity for water demand management. Existing ICT-based systems for behavioural change often do not consider the underlying behavioural determinants in a systematic way. This paper discusses the design of the behavioural change and incentive model for the SmartH2O system, combining smart meter data with consumption visualisation and gamified incentive mechanisms to stimulate water saving. We show how the design of such a system can be related to a holistic behavioural change model and how this systematic mapping can inform the design of an integrated incentive model combining different incentive types …

Randomness Representation In Turbulent Flows With Bed Roughness Elements Using The Spectrum Of The Kolmogorov Complexity, D. T. Mihailović, G. Mimić, P. Gualtieri, I. Arsenić, C. Gualtieri

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

One feature of turbulent flow in relation to randomness is quantified. Experimental data from a turbulent flow collected in a laboratory channel with bed roughness elements of different densities are used. An analysis based on a classical turbulence statistics is performed, using a simple empirical model for estimating the relative sizes of mixing lengths representing the typical scale of an eddy in the corresponding surface layer, to describe the turbulence in terms of irregular or random flow. Instead of such description a quantification of the turbulence flow using measures based on the spectrum of the Kolmogorov complexity (KC) is proposed.

System Identification And Control Of Rivers, Hasan Arshad Nasir, Erik Weyer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Here we present findings from on-going research on how to improve the management and efficiency of river operations using data based modelling and control engineering. The objectives of the river operations include minimisation of flow and water level deviations from their required set- points, on-time water deliveries to irrigators and flood risk mitigation. Due to long time delays in rivers, forecasts of flows in tributaries are required, and control strategies for rivers should be able to accommodate such forecasts. Here we propose to use system identification techniques to obtain models of the rivers which are very simple, but sufficient for …

Modelling Socio-Ecological Problems With Delay. Case Study On Environmental Damage, Veronika Novotná, Bedřich Půža, Jiří Hřebíček

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The paper presents modelling complex socio-ecological problems, where relations among individual quantities vary in time. This includes dynamics of processes in the model, which enables to understand time as a continuous quantity and to describe dynamic processes by a system of differential equations with delay. Implementation of these models in Maple system enables both analytic and numerical solutions and their visualizations. The Maple solution of the specific example of the model with delayed argument is shown, where all input parameters can be interactively changed during the solution process, i.e. delay, interval of the solution, or other parameters which have an …

Hindcasting The Dynamics Of An Eastern Mediterranean Marine Ecosystem Under The Impacts Of Multiple And Cumulative Stressors, X. Corrales, M. Coll, E. Ofir, M. Goren, D. Edelist, J. J. Heymans, G. Gal

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

An important challenge for conserving and managing marine ecosystems is to advance our understanding of how multiple human stressors, environmental factors and marine resources interact and influence each other. The ecosystems of the Israeli Mediterranean coast have undergone significant ecological changes in recent decades caused primarily by the introduction of invasive species through the Suez Canal, intense fishing activities and the effects of climate change. An Ecopath model representing the continental shelf of the Israeli Mediterranean coast was calibrated and fitted to the available time series from early 1990’s to 2010 using the Ecosim temporal dynamic modeling approach. The model …

Identifying Efficient And Robust Water Supply Investments For East England, Evgenii S. Matrosov, Julien J. Harou

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In response to uncertainties about climate, population, economic and institutional changes, water resource system planners increasingly seek to select both robust and efficient system designs, i.e., those that work best across a broad set of plausible futures. Concretely water utilities must identify which portfolios of investments in new infrastructure, demand management schemes and increased regional connectivity together lead to cost-effective robust systems. System design under uncertainty methods such as Many-Objective Robust Decision Making (MORDM) help decision makers find robust strategies while optimising over many stakeholder performance objectives. Most studies using many-objective search have focused on relatively small systems with interconnected …

Study On The Buoyancy Plume Model Coupling With The Effects Of Temperature, Salinity And Sediment, Shen Zia, Huang Juping, Yan Zhongluan, Li Ran, Feng Jingjie

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The paper developed a three-dimensional model for buoyancy plume coupling with the comprehensive effects of different temperature, sediment and salinity. The model includes mass continuity equation, momentum equation and energy equation, state equation, Renormalization Group (RNG) κ-ε turbulence transport equation, sediment scour equation, salinity advection equation. The discretization scheme of Finite Difference Method (FDM) is used to solve Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation, combining the discretization method of the central difference scheme and the upwind scheme. A method called Generalized Minimal Residual Algorithm (GMRES) is used to solve velocity-pressure term of discrete equation. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is adopted …

Spatial And Dynamic Sensitivity Analysis Of A Biophysical Model Of Nitrogen Transfers And Transformations At The Landscape Scale., Jordi Ferrer Saval, Pierre Barbillon, Cyril Benhamou, Patrick Durand, Marie-Luce Taupin, Hervé Monod, Jean-Louis Drouet

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Modelling complex systems such as agroecosystems often requires the quantification of a large number of input factors. Sensitivity analyses are useful to fix the appropriate spatial and temporal resolution of models and to reduce the number of input factors to be measured or estimated accurately. Comprehensive spatial and dynamic sensitivity analyses were applied to the Nitroscape model, a deterministic spatially distributed model describing nitrogen transfers and transformations in a rural landscape. Simulations were led on a virtual landscape that represented five years of farm management in an intensive rural area of 3 km². Cluster analyses were applied to summarize the …

Co-Building A Simulation Model With Various Stakeholders To Assess The Sustainability Of A Regional Agricultural System: How To Articulate Different Types Of Knowledge To Manage Uncertainty?, Caroline Tardivo, Christophe Le Page, Jean-Marc Barbier, Laure Hossard, Roberto Cittadini, Sylvestre Delmotte

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

To assess the sustainability of agricultural systems at a regional scale with regards to possible changes in land use and cropping systems, designing simulation models to explore scenarios with stakeholders is a relevant approach. It implies coping with uncertainties from different areas, originating at both levels of imperfect data sets and misunderstood dynamics (due to incompleteness of knowledge and unexpected systemic effects). Additionally, dealing with various types of knowledge to co-design the model generates ambiguity from the simultaneous presence of multiple frames of reference about the system to be represented. On top of that, specifying scenarios to be explored with …

Calibrating Swat For Multiple Agro-Ecosystem Services At Field Scale, N. Zarrineh, A. Holzkämper, Karim C. Abbaspour, J. Fuhrer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is increasingly used to assess potential impacts on multiple ecosystem services. However, insufficient attention is given to crop growth processes in a field setting that are relevant drivers of important agro-ecosystem services such as crop yield, soil organic matter, or nutrient leaching. The aim of this study was to validate the SWAT model performance for multiple outputs related to agro-ecosystem services. In a Swiss case study, SWAT was set up to simulate a long-term field experiment including four soil tillage treatments with detailed records of management (e.g. sowing, harvesting, fertilizing and tillage). Observed …

Using Multi-Objective Optimization To Support Urban Planning, Jonas Schwaab, Kalyanmoy Deb, Erik Goodman, Sven Lautenbach, Maarten Van Strien, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Globally urban growth destroys fertile soils and endangers food security. Fertile soils are often located in the vicinity of existing urban areas. Thus, preserving high-quality soils often conflicts with the objective of compact city development. Urban planners have to account for both of these and many other objectives and react to political decisions which put a higher weight on some of them. In addition, urban planners have to deal with uncertain projections on population growth and the demand for housing. We used a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to show for a case study region in Switzerland how robust urban growth patterns …

A Study Of Non-Point Source Pollution Reduction Of Tea Garden In Taiwan Feitsui Reservoir Watershed, Chia-Chun Ho, Jen-Yang Lin

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The water quality of Feitsui Reservoir, which located in the north of Taiwan, has long been maintained mesotrophic to oligotrophic status. However, the pass rate of total phosphorous (TP) concentration of those three upstream streams, Jingualiao River, Daiyujue River, and Beishi River, have not reached 100% compliance with Class A Standard of water quality from Taiwan EPA. The main source of TP is from agriculture fertilizer, especially from the tea garden. In order to remove the non-point sources pollution, the bioretention was adopted and established at the outlet of the runoff drainage path of tea garden. The tea garden area …

Application Of The Swat Model To Investigate Surface Runoff And Nitrate Flux Towards The Mediterranean Sea: Case Of The Tafna Catchment (North-West Of Africa), Amin Zettam, Amina Taleb, Sabine Sauvage, José Miguel Sanchez-Perez, Laurie Boithias, Nouria Belaidi

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Water in North-West of Africa is an increasingly valuable resource due to high competition between agriculture, industry and drinking water supply, accentuated by frequent drought conditions in a semi-arid climate. For a few decades, the demographic explosion, the development of agriculture and industry, and the building of water infrastructures (dams) have modified the water fluxes and the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen towards an increased production of nitrates in waters. The objectives of this study are to propose a modelling approach to quantify the contribution of the Tafna coastal watershed (North-West of Africa) to the flux of nitrates into the Mediterranean …

Numerical Simulation Of A New Three-Dimensional Non-Hydrostatic Model, Ling Kang, Shangwen Jiang

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The hydrostatic pressure assumption has been widely applied in hydrodynamic numerical simulation in rivers and lakes, but it has been found inappropriate in various cases where the vertical acceleration is significant. To this end, this paper proposes a new three-dimensional, non-hydrostatic hydrodynamic model. Based on Navier-Stokes equations with the σ-coordinate transformation, rectangular grid is adopted as the approximation of the study region. For numerical solution, the process includes two steps, the estimated step and the modified step. The FDM is adopted to derive the discretization of the governing equations, and the θ method is employed for equations solution. A numerical …

Analyzing Regime Shifts In Agent-Based Models With Equation-Free Analysis, Romina Martin, Spencer Angus Thomas

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Conventional tools to analyze regime shifts in ecosystems, e.g. stable state and bifurcation analyses, are increasingly adapted to investigate social-ecological systems. The challenge lies in combining the analysis of system dynamics with the analysis of transient dynamics emerging from adaptive and heterogeneous agents. A typical question is, to which extent do micro level interactions contribute to a macro level outcome? We demonstrate the application of a new tool, equation-free analysis, for evaluating the state space from an agent-based model (ABM) on lake restoration. By sidestepping the requirement of an equation describing a systems macroscopic behavior, equation free analysis enables system …

Why Does Dynamic Neighbourhood Configuration Matter In Ca-Based Models? An Exploratory Approach For Luxembourg’S Cross-Border Area, H. Omrani, J. P. Antoni, O. Klein

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Cellular Automata (CA) based modelling is rapidly emerging as a powerful technique to model complex systems in a wide range of applications. The neighbourhood configuration is one of the key components of CA models. Static neighbourhood configuration (SNC) has been used for a long time in various applications. However the efficiency of a CA model is highly influenced by its SNC and cell size. Recently, a few number of researchers working in land change science have proposed a large neighbourhood configuration (e.g., 10×10 Moore neighbourhood instead of the commonly used 3×3 Moore neighbourhood). The large neighbourhood configuration has shown its …

A Probabilistic Approach For Participatory Evaluation Of Resource Management Systems, Nagesh Kolagani, Palaniappan Ramu, Ravi Gorripati, Alexey Voinov

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

When planning resource management systems in villages, involving stakeholders in planning these systems is known to lead to better results with more success and less conflict. While planning these systems, stakeholders often need to evaluate several alternatives before selecting one which best suits their requirements. A simple multi criteria decision analysis model which they can understand, such as a linear weighted summation model, will help them in evaluating efficiency of each alternative and ranking it. While using such models, a common practice is to obtain weights of each criterion from stakeholders using methods such as analytic hierarchy process. Values of …

Assessing The Performance Of A Spatially Distributed Soil Erosion And Sediment Delivery Model For Han River Basin Of South Korea, Chung Gil Jung, Ji Wan Lee, So Ra Ahn, Seong Joon Kim

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

When assessing the total sediment yield of a watershed through sediment transport from soil erosion process, the ratio of sediment delivery is a critical and uncertain factor during modelling. This study is to estimate watershed scale sediment yield with the evaluation of RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) rain erosivity R factor for 15 years (2000 ~ 2014) using 1 minute data from 16 rainfall gauging stations in Han River basin (34,148 km²) of South Korea. The average R value in this study was evaluated as 4,708 MJ/ha mm/year with range of 1,652 ~ 10,143 MJ/ha mm/year while …

Comparing State-Of-The-Art Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms For Water Allocation Under Different Climate Scenarios, Dan Yan, Fulco Ludwig, He Qing Huang, Saskia E. Werners

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Water allocation is facing profound challenges due to increasing climate uncertainties. To deal with these uncertainties, we developed a modelling framework linking decision making on water allocation and multi-objective evolutionary search. The framework aims to assess how nine different multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) perform in identifying robust water allocation plans for large rivers. It was applied to the Pearl River basin in China to allocate sufficient flow into the delta to reduce salt intrusion in the dry season under current and future climate conditions. Results show all the MOEAs perform well in sustaining required discharge at two gauge stations from …

Nitrogen Cascade At The Landscape Scale: Modelling The Effect Of Climate, Soils And Agriculture On Direct And Indirect Nitrogen Emissions In Contrasted Rural Sites, Cyril Benhamou, Patrick Durand, Jordy Salmon-Monviola, Christophe Flechard, Sylvain Ferrant, Anne Probst, Josette Garnier, Gaëlle Tallec, Pierre Cellier, Laurène Casal, Juliette Anglade, Camille Chambon, Jean-Louis Drouet

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In rural landscapes the nitrogen cascade, i.e. the way reactive nitrogen transforms and transfers into, within and out of the agro-ecosystems depends on farm management, landscape structure and their interactions with soil types, topography, climate and hydrology. While NO₃^- emissions to water bodies are frequently measured and modeled at the catchment level, this is rarely the case for NH₃ and N₂O emissions. However on one hand NH₃ emissions to the atmosphere in intensive livestock production areas may be of the same order of magnitude as NO₃^- emissions to water. On the other …

Hierarchical Hybrid Modelling, Reza Hesan, Erik Pruyt

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Environmental systems are complex systems. They are composed of many heterogeneous agents interacting in nonlinear ways within environment. Consequently, capturing the dynamics and understanding these systems are often similarly complex. To understand complex systems, hierarchy theory proposes to decompose these systems to levels (vertical structures) and subsystems (horizontal structures). Hierarchical perspectives could help in understanding complex environmental systems. However, existing modeling platforms lack of an appropriate abstraction which supports hierarchical structuring of systems. Consequently, the application of hierarchy theory has been limited to observational purposes. In this paper, we present a hierarchical simulation platform and a software package developed to …

Analysing Urban Development With Decision Tree Based Cellular Automata. Toward An Automatic Transition Rules Creation Process, V. Judge, O. Klein, J. P. Antoni

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Land use evolution study has become a major stake in urban planning. One of the main challenge is to understand processes behind. Various studies highlight the usefulness of simulation tools in research focusing on land use change. Among simulation tools, Cellular Automata (CA) are well adapted with their geometric properties and potential to identify emerging spatial structures and processes. The transition rules definition is a key step of these CA-based simulations. Indeed, “in the context of urban systems, we often have no idea what the “right” rules are” (Torrens, 2011). In our approach “right rules” should be thematically interpretable rules …

Implication Of Density-Dependent Flow On Numerical Modelling Of Sw-Gw Interactions, Sina Alaghmand, Philip Brunner, Thomas Graf, Craig Simmons

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

With the growing interest in the last decades in the modelling of hydrogeological processes involved in the water resources management, it has been recognized that the assumption of constant-properties water is no longer adequate in the analysis and simulation of the flow considered in these cases. In recent years, many studies used simplistic approaches that may not represent the aquifer flow dynamics realistically by not accounting for changing fluid density. This study explore the importance of understanding the impact of density-dependent flow on SW-GW interactions. To this aim two synthetic models was developed at large and small scales and various …

The Perceived Value Of A Collaborative Platform Promoting A Rivercare Community About The Effects Of Riverine Management, Vivian Juliette Cortes Arevalo, Robert Jan Den Haan, Fedor Baart, Mascha Van Der Voort, Suzanne Hulscher

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Riverine measures such as longitudinal training dams, stream restoration, side channels and sediment management are implemented in the Netherlands. Measures aim at accommodating high-water levels while improving the spatial quality of the surroundings. Identifying the actual effects of river measures requires to effectively facilitate the access, discussion and sharing of knowledge between actors of different disciplines or backgrounds. The communication project of RiverCare offers a web-collaborative platform to support knowledge sharing between experts and non-experts actors. RiverCare is a large Dutch research programme studying the riverine and integrated effects of measures towards more collaborative and sustainable management. The knowledge of …

Identification Of Critical Source Areas Of Nutrient Loads Using Swat Model: Case Study, Zrebar Lake Watershed, Iran, S. Imani, M. Delavar, M. H. Niksokhan

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Entrance of nutrients and sediments to water bodies (i.e. Lakes) originating from watersheds is a serious problem in the Iran and other countries. So, the identification of critical source areas (CSAs) of pollutants in terms of watershed hydrologic units is extremely important for effective management of pollutant sources and implementation of best management practices for better protection of water quality. The main objective of this study was to identify and evaluate critical source areas (CSAs) of Nutrient loads using an integrated modeling approach. For this, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to identify CSAs of nutrients in the …

Improving Multi-Objective Management Of Water Quality Tipping Points: Revisiting The Classical Shallow Lake Problem, Julianne Quinn, Patrick Reed, Klaus Keller

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Recent multi-objective extensions of the classical shallow lake problem are useful for exploring the conceptual and computational challenges that emerge when managing irreversible water quality tipping points. Building on this work, we explore a four objective version of the lake problem where a hypothetical town derives economic benefits from polluting a nearby lake, but at the risk of irreversibly tipping the lake into a permanently polluted state. The trophic state of the lake exhibits non-linear threshold dynamics; below some critical phosphorus (P) threshold it is healthy and oligotrophic, but above this threshold it is irreversibly eutrophic. The town must decide …

Escapade To Quantify Nitrogen Losses In Territories And Assess Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies, Jean-Louis Drouet, François Laurent, Patrick Durand, Gilles Billen, Pierre Cellier, Olivier Maury, Stéphanie Potok, Philippe Faverdin, Christophe Fléchard, Josette Garnier, Armelle Guy, Catherine Hénault, Catherine Mignolet, Hervé Monod, Anne Probst, Stéphane Sorin, Gaëlle Tallec, Matthias Beekmann, Eric Ceschia, Cécile Le Gall, Thierry Morel, Gauthier Quesnel, Eric Ramat

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Agriculture is facing to the challenge of maintaining or even increasing production while limiting the use of nitrogen inputs. The introduction of mineral nitrogen in agroecosystems feeds a cascade of processes and losses to the environment at each stage of the cascade with many environmental and societal impacts (degradation of air, water and soil quality, impacts on greenhouse gas balance, biodiversity and human health…). Since classical approaches at plot or farm scale do not make possible to control all impacts, levers must also be sought at larger scales. The overall objective of the interdisciplinary project ESCAPADE (ANR-12-AGRO-0003, 2013-2017) is to …