QEIB: Uncertainty Analysis, Spatial Interaction and Response Functions in Scaling-up Models of Forest Ecosystems

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Acevedo 0108563 Detailed ecological data have been used to develop computer models of forest stands that have been applied to solve resource management issues. Increasingly, however, there is a need to answer questions that are relevant for larger areas, for example the impact of changing land use and of removing forest cover on habitat and water quality. This project will contribute to the methodology for scaling forest simulators into models of vegetation cover change in order to help answer those broad scale questions. Specifically, Dr. Acevedo and colleagues will develop methods to calculate the uncertainty associated with translating the model to larger areas, to scale the effect of neighboring vegetation patches, and to determine general mathematical functions of how those changes vary across a large landscape. The investigators will engage students in research as well as international collaboration with a team that is interdisciplinary and includes modelers, a mathematician, a computer scientist