EcoService Models Library (ESML)
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Compare EMs
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.
EM Identity and Description
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
EM Short Name
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Area and hotspots of carbon storage, South Africa | FORCLIM v2.9, West Cascades, OR, USA | Evoland v3.5 (unbounded growth), Eugene, OR, USA | DeNitrification-DeComposition simulation (DNDC) v.8.9 flux simulation, Ireland | WESP Method |
EM Full Name
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Area and hotspots of carbon storage, South Africa | FORCLIM (FORests in a changing CLIMate) v2.9, West Cascades, OR, USA | Evoland v3.5 (without urban growth boundaries), Eugene, OR, USA | DeNitrification-DeComposition simulation of N2O flux Ireland | Method for the Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) |
EM Source or Collection
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None | US EPA | Envision | None | None |
EM Source Document ID
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271 |
23 ?Comment:Related document ID 22 is a secondary source providing tree species specific parameters in appendix. |
47 ?Comment:Doc 183 is a secondary source for the Evoland model. |
358 | 390 |
Document Author
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Egoh, B., Reyers, B., Rouget, M., Richardson, D.M., Le Maitre, D.C., and van Jaarsveld, A.S. | Busing, R. T., Solomon, A. M., McKane, R. B. and Burdick, C. A. | Guzy, M. R., Smith, C. L. , Bolte, J. P., Hulse, D. W. and Gregory, S. V. | Abdalla, M., Yeluripati, J., Smith, P., Burke, J., Williams, M. | Adamus, P. R. |
Document Year
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2008 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2016 |
Document Title
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Mapping ecosystem services for planning and management | Forest dynamics in Oregon landscapes: evaluation and application of an individual-based model | Policy research using agent-based modeling to assess future impacts of urban expansion into farmlands and forests | Testing DayCent and DNDC model simulations of N2O fluxes and assessing the impacts of climate change on the gas flux and biomass production from a humid pasture | Manual for the Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) v. 1.3. |
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 |
Comments on Status
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Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published journal manuscript | Published report |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Not applicable | Not applicable | http://evoland.bioe.orst.edu/ | http://www.dndc.sr.unh.edu |
http://people.oregonstate.edu/~adamusp/WESP/ ?Comment:This is an Excel spreadsheet calculator |
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Contact Name
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Benis Egoh | Richard T. Busing | Michael R. Guzy | M. Abdalla | Paul R. Adamus |
Contact Address
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Water Resources Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy | U.S. Geological Survey, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA | Oregon State University, Dept. of Biological and Ecological Engineering | Dept. of Botany, School of Natural Science, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin2, Ireland | 6028 NW Burgundy Dr. Corvallis, OR 97330 |
Contact Email
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Not reported | rtbusing@aol.com | Not reported | abdallm@tcd.ie | adamus7@comcast.net |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Summary Description
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AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "We define the range of ecosystem services as areas of meaningful supply, similar to a species’ range or area of occupancy. The term ‘‘hotspots’’ was proposed by Norman Myers in the 1980s and refers to areas of high species richness, endemism and/or threat and has been widely used to prioritise areas for biodiversity conservation. Similarly, this study suggests that hotspots for ecosystem services are areas of critical management importance for the service. Here the term ecosystem service hotspot is used to refer to areas which provide large proportions of a particular service, and do not include measures of threat or endemism…In this study, only carbon storage was mapped because of a lack of data on the other functions related to the regulation of global climate such as carbon sequestration and the effects of changes in albedo. Carbon is stored above or below the ground and South African studies have found higher levels of carbon storage in thicket than in savanna, grassland and renosterveld (Mills et al., 2005). This information was used by experts to classify vegetation types (Mucina and Rutherford, 2006), according to their carbon storage potential, into three categories: low to none (e.g. desert), medium (e.g. grassland), high (e.g. thicket, forest) (Rouget et al., 2004). All vegetation types with medium and high carbon storage potential were identified as the range of carbon storage. Areas of high carbon storage potential where it is essential to retain this store were mapped as the carbon storage hotspot." | ABSTRACT: "The FORCLIM model of forest dynamics was tested against field survey data for its ability to simulate basal area and composition of old forests across broad climatic gradients in western Oregon, USA. The model was also tested for its ability to capture successional trends in ecoregions of the west Cascade Range…The simulation of both stand-replacing and partial-stand disturbances across western Oregon improved agreement between simulated and actual data." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "An analysis of forest successional dynamics was performed on ecoregions 4a and 4b, which cover the south Santiam watershed area selected for intensive study. In each of these two ecoregions, a set of 20 simulated sites was compared to survey plot data summaries. Survey data were analysed by stand age class and simulations of corresponding ages. The statistical methods described…were applied in comparison of actual with simulated forest composition and total basal area by age class. Separate simulations were run with and without fire." | **Note: A more recent version of this model exists. See Related EMs below for links to related models/applications.** ABSTRACT: "Spatially explicit agent-based models can represent the changes in resilience and ecological services that result from different land-use policies…This type of analysis generates ensembles of alternate plausible representations of future system conditions. User expertise steers interactive, stepwise system exploration toward inductive reasoning about potential changes to the system. In this study, we develop understanding of the potential alternative futures for a social-ecological system by way of successive simulations that test variations in the types and numbers of policies. The model addresses the agricultural-urban interface and the preservation of ecosystem services. The landscape analyzed is at the junction of the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers adjacent to the cities of Eugene and Springfield in Lane County, Oregon." AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Two general scenarios for urban expansion were created to set the bounds on what might be possible for the McKenzie-Willamette study area. One scenario, fish conservation, tried to accommodate urban expansion, but gave the most weight to policies that would produce resilience and ecosystem services to restore threatened fish populations. The other scenario, unconstrained development, reversed the weighting. The 35 policies in the fish conservation scenario are designed to maintain urban growth boundaries (UGB), accommodate human population growth through increased urban densities, promote land conservation through best-conservation practices on agricultural and forest lands, and make rural land-use conversions that benefit fish. In the unconstrained development scenario, 13 policies are mainly concerned with allowing urban expansion in locations desired by landowners. Urban expansion in this scenario was not constrained by the extent of the UGB, and the policies are not intended to create conservation land uses." | Simulation models are one of the approaches used to investigate greenhouse gas emissions and potential effects of global warming on terrestrial ecosystems. DayCent which is the daily time-step version of the CENTURY biogeochemical model, and DNDC (the DeNitrification–DeComposition model) were tested against observed nitrous oxide flux data from a field experiment on cut and extensively grazed pasture located at the Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre, Co. Carlow, Ireland. The soil was classified as a free draining sandy clay loam soil with a pH of 7.3 and a mean organic carbon and nitrogen content at 0–20 cm of 38 and 4.4 g kg−1 dry soil, respectively. The aims of this study were to validate DayCent and DNDC models for estimating N2O emissions from fertilized humid pasture, and to investigate the impacts of future climate change on N2O fluxes and biomass production. Measurements of N2O flux were carried out from November 2003 to November 2004 using static chambers. Three climate scenarios, a baseline of measured climatic data from the weather station at Carlow, and high and low temperature sensitivity scenarios predicted by the Community Climate Change Consortium For Ireland (C4I) based on the Hadley Centre Global Climate Model (HadCM3) and the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A1B emission scenario were investigated. DNDC overestimated the measured flux with relative deviations of +132 and +258% due to overestimation of the effects of SOC. DayCent, though requiring some calibration for Irish conditions, simulated N2O fluxes more consistently than did DNDC. | Author Description: " The Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) is a standardized template for creating regionalized methods which then can be used to rapid assess ecosystem services (functions and values) of all wetland types throughout a focal region. To date, regionalized versions of WESP have been developed (or are ongoing) for government agencies or NGOs in Oregon, Alaska, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. WESP also may be used directly in its current condition to assess these services at the scale of an individual wetland, but without providing a regional context for interpreting that information. Nonetheless, WESP takes into account many landscape factors, especially as they relate to the potential or actual benefits of a wetland’s functions. A WESP assessment requires completing a single three-part data form, taking about 1-3 hours. Responses to questions on that form are based on review of aerial imagery and observations during a single site visit; GIS is not required. After data are entered in an Excel spreadsheet, the spreadsheet uses science-based logic models to automatically generate scores intended to reflect a wetland’s ability to support the following functions: Water Storage and Delay, Stream Flow Support, Water Cooling, Sediment Retention and Stabilization, Phosphorus Retention, Nitrate Removal and Retention, Carbon Sequestration, Organic Nutrient Export, Aquatic Invertebrate Habitat, Anadromous Fish Habitat, Non-anadromous Fish Habitat, Amphibian & Reptile Habitat, Waterbird Feeding Habitat, Waterbird Nesting Habitat, Songbird, Raptor and Mammal Habitat, Pollinator Habitat, and Native Plant Habitat. For all but two of these functions, scores are given for both components of an ecosystem service: function and benefit. In addition, wetland Ecological Condition (Integrity), Public Use and Recognition, Wetland Sensitivity, and Stressors are scored. Scores generated by WESP may be used to (a) estimate a wetland’s relative ecological condition, stress, and sensitivity, (b) compare relative levels of ecosystem services among different wetland types, or (c) compare those in a single wetland before and after restoration, enhancement, or loss."] |
Specific Policy or Decision Context Cited
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None identified | None Identified | Authors Description: " By policy, we mean land management options that span the domains of zoning, agricultural and forest production, environmental protection, and urban development, including the associated regulations, laws, and practices. The policies we used in our SES simulations include urban containment policies…We also used policies modeled on agricultural practices that affect ecoystem services and capital…" | climate change | None identified |
Biophysical Context
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Semi-arid environment. Rainfall varies geographically from less than 50 to about 3000 mm per year (annual mean 450 mm). Soils are mostly very shallow with limited irrigation potential. | West Cascade lowlands (4a), and west Cascade montane (4b) ecoregions | No additional description provided | Agricultural field, Ann rainfall 824mm, mean air temp 9.4°C | None |
EM Scenario Drivers
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No scenarios presented | Two scenarios modelled, forests with and without fire | Three scenarios without urban growth boundaries, and with various combinations of unconstrainted development, fish conservation, and agriculture and forest reserves. | fertilization | N/A |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Method Only, Application of Method or Model Run
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Method + Application |
Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs ?Comment:Related document ID 22 is a secondary source providing tree species specific parameters in appendix. |
Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application | Method Only |
New or Pre-existing EM?
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New or revised model | Application of existing model | New or revised model | Application of existing model | New or revised model |
Related EMs (for example, other versions or derivations of this EM) described in ESML
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Document ID for related EM
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Doc-271 | Doc-22 | Doc-23 |
Doc-183 | Doc-47 | Doc-313 | Doc-314 ?Comment:Doc 183 is a secondary source for the Evoland model. |
None | None |
EM ID for related EM
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EM-85 | EM-86 | EM-87 | EM-146 | EM-208 | EM-186 | EM-12 | EM-369 | EM-593 | EM-718 |
EM Modeling Approach
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
EM Temporal Extent
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Not reported | >650 yrs | 1990-2050 | 1961-1990 | Not applicable |
EM Time Dependence
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time-stationary | time-dependent | time-dependent | time-dependent | time-stationary |
EM Time Reference (Future/Past)
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Not applicable | past time | future time | both | Not applicable |
EM Time Continuity
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Not applicable | discrete | discrete | discrete | Not applicable |
EM Temporal Grain Size Value
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Not applicable | 1 | 2 | 1 | Not applicable |
EM Temporal Grain Size Unit
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Not applicable | Year | Year | Day | Not applicable |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Bounding Type
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Geopolitical | Physiographic or ecological | Geopolitical | Point or points | Not applicable |
Spatial Extent Name
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South Africa | West Cascades, Oregon | Junction of McKenzie and Willamette Rivers, adjacent to the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Lane Co., Oregon, USA | Oak Park Research centre | Not applicable |
Spatial Extent Area (Magnitude)
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>1,000,000 km^2 | 100-1000 km^2 | 10-100 km^2 | 1-10 ha | Not applicable |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
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) | spatially lumped (in all cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) |
Spatial Grain Type
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other (specify), for irregular (e.g., stream reach, lake basin) | area, for pixel or radial feature | area, for pixel or radial feature | Not applicable | area, for pixel or radial feature |
Spatial Grain Size
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Distributed across catchments with average size of 65,000 ha | 0.08 ha | varies | Not applicable | not reported |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
EM Computational Approach
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Analytic | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Analytic |
EM Determinism
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deterministic | deterministic | stochastic | deterministic | deterministic |
Statistical Estimation of EM
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EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Model Calibration Reported?
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No | No | Unclear | Yes | Not applicable |
Model Goodness of Fit Reported?
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No | No | No |
Yes ?Comment:Actual value was not given, just that results were very poor. Simulation results were 258% of observed |
Not applicable |
Goodness of Fit (metric| value | unit)
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None | None | None |
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None |
Model Operational Validation Reported?
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No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Model Uncertainty Analysis Reported?
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No | No | No | No | Not applicable |
Model Sensitivity Analysis Reported?
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No | No | No | No | Not applicable |
Model Sensitivity Analysis Include Interactions?
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Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
EM Locations, Environments, Ecology
Terrestrial location (Classification hierarchy: Continent > Country > U.S. State [United States only])
EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
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None |
Marine location (Classification hierarchy: Realm > Region > Province > Ecoregion)
EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
None | None | None | None | None |
Centroid Lat/Long (Decimal Degree)
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
Centroid Latitude
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-30 | 44.24 | 44.11 | 52.86 | Not applicable |
Centroid Longitude
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25 | -122.24 | -123.09 | 6.54 | Not applicable |
Centroid Datum
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WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 | None provided | Not applicable |
Centroid Coordinates Status
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Estimated | Estimated | Estimated | Provided | Not applicable |
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
EM Environmental Sub-Class
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Terrestrial Environment (sub-classes not fully specified) | Forests | Rivers and Streams | Forests | Agroecosystems | Created Greenspace | Agroecosystems | Inland Wetlands |
Specific Environment Type
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Not applicable | Primarily conifer forest | Agricultural-urban interface at river junction | farm pasture | Wetlands |
EM Ecological Scale
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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 | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale corresponds to the Environmental Sub-class |
Scale of differentiation of organisms modeled
EM ID
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EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
EM Organismal Scale
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Not applicable | Species | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Taxonomic level and name of organisms or groups identified
EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
None Available |
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None Available | None Available |
EnviroAtlas URL
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)
EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
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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>
(Environmental Subclass > Ecological End-Product (EEP) > EEP Subclass > EEP Modifier)
EM-88 |
EM-224 ![]() |
EM-333 ![]() |
EM-598 | EM-706 |
None | None |
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