Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hierarchical Modeling For Integrated Environmental Assessments, Raymond O'Connor, Deidre Mageean

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The distribution of biotic resources over large spatial extents is often a function of climate, of land-use, and of the demographics of the human population but these different classes of independent variables have different spatial scales for their action. One approach to the integration of these effects across scales is to use hierarchical models that incorporate contingencies and constraints in effects. This project seeks to develop such a modeling paradigm by use of classification and regression trees (CART). The hexagonal grid of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program is used as the spatial grid, with about …