EcoService Models Library (ESML)
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Which comparison is best for me?EM Variables by Variable Role
One quick way to compare ecological models (EMs) is by comparing their variables. Predictor variables show what kinds of influences a model is able to account for, and what kinds of data it requires. Response variables show what information a model is capable of estimating.
This first comparison shows the names (and units) of each EM’s variables, side-by-side, sorted by variable role. Variable roles in ESML are as follows:
- Predictor Variables
- Time- or Space-Varying Variables
- Constants and Parameters
- Intermediate (Computed) Variables
- Response Variables
- Computed Response Variables
- Measured Response Variables
EM Variables by Category
A second way to use variables to compare EMs is by focusing on the kind of information each variable represents. The top-level categories in the ESML Variable Classification Hierarchy are as follows:
- Policy Regarding Use or Management of Ecosystem Resources
- Land Surface (or Water Body Bed) Cover, Use or Substrate
- Human Demographic Data
- Human-Produced Stressor or Enhancer of Ecosystem Goods and Services Production
- Ecosystem Attributes and Potential Supply of Ecosystem Goods and Services
- Non-monetary Indicators of Human Demand, Use or Benefit of Ecosystem Goods and Services
- Monetary Values
Besides understanding model similarities, sorting the variables for each EM by these 7 categories makes it easier to see if the compared models can be linked using similar variables. For example, if one model estimates an ecosystem attribute (in Category 5), such as water clarity, as a response variable, and a second model uses a similar attribute (also in Category 5) as a predictor of recreational use, the two models can potentially be used in tandem. This comparison makes it easier to spot potential model linkages.
All EM Descriptors
This selection allows a more detailed comparison of EMs by model characteristics other than their variables. The 50-or-so EM descriptors for each model are presented, side-by-side, in the following categories:
- EM Identity and Description
- EM Modeling Approach
- EM Locations, Environments, Ecology
- EM Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGS) potentially modeled, by classification system
EM Descriptors by Modeling Concepts
This feature guides the user through the use of the following seven concepts for comparing and selecting EMs:
- Conceptual Model
- Modeling Objective
- Modeling Context
- Potential for Model Linkage
- Feasibility of Model Use
- Model Certainty
- Model Structural Information
Though presented separately, these concepts are interdependent, and information presented under one concept may have relevance to other concepts as well.
Compare Criteria:
Show Criteria
Hide CriteriaEM Identity and Description
EM Identification
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965 
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EM Short Name
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Plant species diversity, Central French Alps | Divergence in flowering date, Central French Alps | VELMA soil temperature, Oregon, USA | Decrease in erosion (shoreline), St. Croix, USVI | Ecopath Model Narragansett Bay, USA |
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EM Full Name
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Plant species diversity, Central French Alps | Functional divergence in flowering date, Central French Alps | VELMA (Visualizing Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments) soil temperature, Oregon, USA | Decrease in erosion (shoreline) by reef, St. Croix, USVI | Ecopath Model Narragansett Bay, USA |
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EM Source or Collection
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EU Biodiversity Action 5 | EU Biodiversity Action 5 | US EPA | US EPA | None |
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EM Source Document ID
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260 | 260 | 317 | 335 | 449 |
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Document Author
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Lavorel, S., Grigulis, K., Lamarque, P., Colace, M-P, Garden, D., Girel, J., Pellet, G., and Douzet, R. | Lavorel, S., Grigulis, K., Lamarque, P., Colace, M-P, Garden, D., Girel, J., Pellet, G., and Douzet, R. | Abdelnour, A., McKane, R. B., Stieglitz, M., Pan, F., and Chen, Y. | Yee, S. H., Dittmar, J. A., and L. M. Oliver | Anne Innes-Gold, Margaret Heinichen, Kelvin Gorospe, Corinne Truesdale, Jeremy Collie, Austin Humphries |
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Document Year
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2011 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2020 |
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Document Title
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Using plant functional traits to understand the landscape distribution of multiple ecosystem services | Using plant functional traits to understand the landscape distribution of multiple ecosystem services | Effects of harvest on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a Pacific Northwest forest catchment | Comparison of methods for quantifying reef ecosystem services: A case study mapping services for St. Croix, USVI | Modeling 25 years of food web changes in Narragansett Bay (USA) as a tool for ecosystem-based management |
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Document Status
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Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published |
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Comments on Status
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Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript |
Software and Access
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| Not applicable | Not applicable | Bob McKane, VELMA Team Lead, USEPA-ORD-NHEERL-WED, Corvallis, OR (541) 754-4631; mckane.bob@epa.gov | Not applicable | https://ecopath.org/downloads/ | |
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Contact Name
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Sandra Lavorel | Sandra Lavorel | Alex Abdelnour | Susan H. Yee | Austin Humphries |
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Contact Address
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Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR 5553 CNRS Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France | Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR 5553 CNRS Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355, USA | US EPA, Office of Research and Development, NHEERL, Gulf Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561, USA | Department of Fisheries, 45 Upper College Rd, Kingston, RI 02881 |
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Contact Email
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sandra.lavorel@ujf-grenoble.fr | sandra.lavorel@ujf-grenoble.fr | abdelnouralex@gmail.com | yee.susan@epa.gov | humphries@uri.edu |
EM Description
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Summary Description
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ABSTRACT: "Here, we propose a new approach for the analysis, mapping and understanding of multiple ES delivery in landscapes. Spatially explicit single ES models based on plant traits and abiotic characteristics are combined to identify ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ spots of multiple ES delivery, and the land use and biotic determinants of such distributions. We demonstrate the value of this trait-based approach as compared to a pure land-use approach for a pastoral landscape from the central French Alps, and highlight how it improves understanding of ecological constraints to, and opportunities for, the delivery of multiple services." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Simpson species diversity was modelled using the LU + abiotic [land use and all abiotic variables] model given that functional diversity should be a consequence of species diversity rather than the reverse (Lepsˇ et al. 2006)…Species diversity for each pixel was calculated and mapped using model estimates for effects of land use types, and for regression coefficients on abiotic variables. For each pixel these calculations were applied to mapped estimates of abiotic variables." | ABSTRACT: "Here, we propose a new approach for the analysis, mapping and understanding of multiple ES delivery in landscapes. Spatially explicit single ES models based on plant traits and abiotic characteristics are combined to identify ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ spots of multiple ES delivery, and the land use and biotic determinants of such distributions. We demonstrate the value of this trait-based approach as compared to a pure land-use approach for a pastoral landscape from the central French Alps, and highlight how it improves understanding of ecological constraints to, and opportunities for, the delivery of multiple services. Vegetative height and leaf traits such as leaf dry matter content were response traits strongly influenced by land use and abiotic environment, with follow-on effects on several ecosystem properties, and could therefore be used as functional markers of ES." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Functional divergence of flowering date was modelled using mixed models with land use and abiotic variables as fixed effects (LU + abiotic model) and year as a random effect…and modelled for each 20 x 20 m pixel using GLM estimated effects for each land use category and estimated regression coefficients with abiotic variables." | ABSTRACT: "We used a new ecohydrological model, Visualizing Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments (VELMA), to analyze the effects of forest harvest on catchment carbon and nitrogen dynamics. We applied the model to a 10 ha headwater catchment in the western Oregon Cascade Range where two major disturbance events have occurred during the past 500 years: a stand-replacing fire circa 1525 and a clear-cut in 1975. Hydrological and biogeochemical data from this site and other Pacific Northwest forest ecosystems were used to calibrate the model. Model parameters were first calibrated to simulate the postfire buildup of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen stocks in plants and soil from 1525 to 1969, the year when stream flow and chemistry measurements were begun. Thereafter, the model was used to simulate old-growth (1969–1974) and postharvest (1975–2008) temporal changes in carbon and nitrogen dynamics…" AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "The soil column model consists of three coupled submodels:...a soil temperature model [Cheng et al., 2010] that simulates daily soil layer temperatures from surface air temperature and snow depth by propagating the air temperature first through the snowpack and then through the ground using the analytical solution of the one-dimensional thermal diffusion equation" | ABSTRACT: "...We investigated and compared a number of existing methods for quantifying ecological integrity, shoreline protection, recreational opportunities, fisheries production, and the potential for natural products discovery from reefs. Methods were applied to mapping potential ecosystem services production around St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Overall, we found that a number of different methods produced similar predictions." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "A number of methods have been developed for linking biophysical attributes of reef condition, such as reef structural complexity, fish biomass, or species richness, to provisioning of ecosystem goods and services (Principe et al., 2012). We investigated the feasibility of using existing methods and data for mapping production of reef ecosystem goods and services. We applied these methods toward mapping potential ecosystem goods and services production in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)...For each of the five categories of ecosystem services, we chose a suite of models and indices for estimating potential production based on relative ease of implementation, consisting of well-defined parameters, and likely availability of input data, to maximize potential for transferability to other locations. For each method, we assembled the necessary reef condition and environmental data as spatial data layers for St. Croix (Table1). The coastal zone surrounding St. Croix was divided into 10x10 m grid cells, and production functions were applied to quantify ecosystem services provisioning in each grid cell...Shoreline protection as an ecosystem service has been defined in a number of ways including protection from shoreline erosion...and can thus be estimated as % Decrease in erosion due to reef = 1 - (Ho/H)^2.5 where Ho is the attenuated wave height due to the presence of the reef and H is wave height in the absence of the reef." | Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, USA) is an estuary undergoing changes from a combination of rising water temperatures, nutrient fluxes, and human uses. In this study, we created an ecosystem food web model and evaluated its ability to predict functional group biomasses. Specifically, we used Ecopath to construct 2 mass-balanced models covering different time periods in Narragansett Bay: a historical model using data from 1994-1998 and a present-day model that represents 2014-2018. With the historical model as a starting point, we used Ecosim fit to time series data and projected forward to present-day values, forcing the model with both phytoplankton biomass and fishing mortality. The biomass of most mid- and upper trophic level groups increased by 2018, with the exception of carnivorous benthos, which experienced a large decline. There were changes in the composition of fisheries, with a large increase in recreational benthivorous fish landings and a decrease in commercial landings of planktivorous fish and suspension feeding benthos. The inclusion of fishing mortality and phytoplankton biomass as forcing functions, as well as adjusting the vulnerability levels of prey, greatly improved our model fits for all functional groups with the exception of gelatinous zooplankton. Our ecosystem model was able to correctly predict the direction of change for all fish and fished invertebrate groups with a relatively high degree of precision, particularly for the upper trophic levels. Thus, this ecosystem model is broadly applicable and suitable to project trends in the Narragansett Bay food web associated with localized and adaptive ecosystem-based management. |
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Specific Policy or Decision Context Cited
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None identified | None identified | None identified | None identified | None identified |
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Biophysical Context
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Elevation ranges from 1552 to 2442 m, predominantly on south-facing slopes | Elevations ranging from 1552 m to 2442 m, on predominantly south-facing slopes | Basin elevation ranges from 430 m at the stream gauging station to 700 m at the southeastern ridgeline. Near stream and side slope gradients are approximately 24o and 25o to 50o, respectively. The climate is relatively mild with wet winters and dry summer. Mean annual temperature is 8.5 oC. Daily temperature extremes vary from 39 oC in the summer to -20 oC in the winter. | No additional description provided | NA |
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EM Scenario Drivers
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No scenarios presented | No scenarios presented | No scenarios presented | No scenarios presented | 1) Time period from 1994 to 1998 and 2) time period from 2014 to 2018 |
EM Relationship to Other EMs or Applications
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Method Only, Application of Method or Model Run
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Method + Application | Method + Application | Method + Application | Method + Application |
Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs ?Comment:Run 1: 1994-1998 |
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New or Pre-existing EM?
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New or revised model | New or revised model | Application of existing model | Application of existing model | Application of existing model |
Related EMs (for example, other versions or derivations of this EM) described in ESML
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Document ID for related EM
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Doc-260 | Doc-260 | Doc-269 | Doc-13 | Doc-317 | Doc-335 |
?Comment:Document 450 is an additional source for this EM. |
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EM ID for related EM
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EM-65 | EM-66 | EM-68 | EM-69 | EM-71 | EM-79 | EM-80 | EM-81 | EM-82 | EM-83 | EM-65 | EM-66 | EM-68 | EM-69 | EM-70 | EM-71 | EM-80 | EM-81 | EM-82 | EM-83 | EM-375 | EM-380 | EM-884 | EM-883 | EM-887 | EM-447 | EM-448 | None |
EM Modeling Approach
EM Relationship to Time
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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EM Temporal Extent
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2007-2009 | 2007-2008 | 1969-2008 | 2006-2007, 2010 | 1994-1998 |
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EM Time Dependence
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time-stationary | time-stationary | time-dependent | time-stationary | time-dependent |
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EM Time Reference (Future/Past)
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Not applicable | Not applicable | future time | Not applicable | past time |
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EM Time Continuity
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Not applicable | Not applicable | discrete | Not applicable | discrete |
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EM Temporal Grain Size Value
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Not applicable | Not applicable | 1 | Not applicable | 4 |
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EM Temporal Grain Size Unit
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Not applicable | Not applicable | Day | Not applicable | Year |
EM Spatial Extent
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Bounding Type
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Physiographic or Ecological | Physiographic or Ecological | Watershed/Catchment/HUC | Physiographic or ecological | Physiographic or ecological |
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Spatial Extent Name
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Central French Alps | Central French Alps | H. J. Andrews LTER WS10 | Coastal zone surrounding St. Croix | Narragansett Bay |
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Spatial Extent Area (Magnitude)
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10-100 km^2 | 10-100 km^2 | 10-100 ha | 100-1000 km^2 | 100-1000 km^2 |
Spatial Distribution of Computations
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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EM Spatial Distribution
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spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) |
spatially distributed (in at least some cases) ?Comment:See below, grain includes vertical, subsurface dimension. |
spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially lumped (in all cases) |
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Spatial Grain Type
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area, for pixel or radial feature | area, for pixel or radial feature | volume, for 3-D feature | area, for pixel or radial feature | Not applicable |
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Spatial Grain Size
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20 m x 20 m | 20 m x 20 m | 30 m x 30 m surface pixel and 2-m depth soil column | 10 m x 10 m | Not applicable |
EM Structure and Computation Approach
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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EM Computational Approach
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Analytic | Analytic | Numeric | Analytic | Analytic |
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EM Determinism
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deterministic | deterministic | deterministic | deterministic | deterministic |
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Statistical Estimation of EM
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Model Checking Procedures Used
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Model Calibration Reported?
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No | No | No | Yes | Unclear |
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Model Goodness of Fit Reported?
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Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
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Goodness of Fit (metric| value | unit)
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None | None | None |
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Model Operational Validation Reported?
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No | No | No | Yes | Unclear |
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Model Uncertainty Analysis Reported?
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No | No | No | No | Unclear |
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Model Sensitivity Analysis Reported?
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No | No | No | No | Unclear |
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Model Sensitivity Analysis Include Interactions?
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Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
EM Locations, Environments, Ecology
Location of EM Application
Terrestrial location (Classification hierarchy: Continent > Country > U.S. State [United States only])
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| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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None | None |
Marine location (Classification hierarchy: Realm > Region > Province > Ecoregion)
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| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| None | None | None |
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Centroid Lat/Long (Decimal Degree)
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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Centroid Latitude
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45.05 | 45.05 | 44.25 | 17.73 | 41.62 |
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Centroid Longitude
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6.4 | 6.4 | -122.33 | -64.77 | 71.35 |
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Centroid Datum
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WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 |
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Centroid Coordinates Status
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Provided | Provided | Provided | Estimated | Estimated |
Environments and Scales Modeled
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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EM Environmental Sub-Class
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Agroecosystems | Grasslands | Agroecosystems | Grasslands | Forests | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine |
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Specific Environment Type
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Subalpine terraces, grasslands, and meadows | Subalpine terraces, grasslands, and meadows | 400 to 500 year old forest dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and western red cedar (Thuja plicata). | Coral reefs | Coastal bay |
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EM Ecological Scale
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Not applicable | Ecological scale is coarser than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class |
Scale and taxa of organisms modeled
Scale of differentiation of organisms modeled
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EM ID
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EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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EM Organismal Scale
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Community | Community | Not applicable | Not applicable | Guild or Assemblage |
Taxonomic level and name of organisms or groups identified
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| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| None Available | None Available | None Available | None Available |
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EnviroAtlas URL
| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| None Available | None Available | Average Annual Precipitation | National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHD PlusV2) | Big game hunting recreation demand |
EM Ecosystem Goods and Services (EGS) potentially modeled, by classification system
CICES v 4.3 - Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (Section > Division > Group > Class)
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| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| None | None | None |
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<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/national-ecosystem-services-classification-system-nescs-plus">National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS) Plus</a>
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(Environmental Subclass > Ecological End-Product (EEP) > EEP Subclass > EEP Modifier)
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| EM-70 | EM-79 | EM-379 | EM-449 |
EM-965
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| None | None | None |
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