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
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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EM Short Name
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EnviroAtlas-Nat. filtration-water | EnviroAtlas-Carbon sequestered by trees | InVEST fisheries, lobster, South Africa | Estuary recreational use, Cape Cod, MA | Northern Shoveler recruits, CREP wetlands, IA, USA |
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EM Full Name
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US EPA EnviroAtlas - Natural filtration (of water by tree cover); Example is shown for Durham NC and vicinity, USA | US EPA EnviroAtlas - Total carbon sequestered by tree cover; Example is shown for Durham NC and vicinity, USA | Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs Fisheries, rock lobster, South Africa | Estuary recreational use, Cape Cod, MA | Northern Shoveler duck recruits, CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) wetlands, Iowa, USA |
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EM Source or Collection
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US EPA | EnviroAtlas | i-Tree ?Comment:EnviroAtlas uses an application of the i-Tree Hydro model. |
US EPA | EnviroAtlas | i-Tree | InVEST | US EPA | None |
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EM Source Document ID
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223 |
223 ?Comment:Additional source: I-tree Eco (doc# 345). |
349 ?Comment:Supplemented with the InVEST Users Guide fisheries. |
387 |
372 ?Comment:Document 373 is a secondary source for this EM. |
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Document Author
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US EPA Office of Research and Development - National Exposure Research Laboratory | US EPA Office of Research and Development - National Exposure Research Laboratory | Ward, Michelle, Hugh Possingham, Johathan R. Rhodes, Peter Mumby | Mulvaney, K K., Atkinson, S.F., Merrill, N.H., Twichell, J.H., and M.J. Mazzotta | Otis, D. L., W. G. Crumpton, D. Green, A. K. Loan-Wilsey, R. L. McNeely, K. L. Kane, R. Johnson, T. Cooper, and M. Vandever |
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Document Year
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2013 | 2013 | 2018 | 2019 | 2010 |
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Document Title
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EnviroAtlas - Featured Community | EnviroAtlas - Featured Community | Food, money and lobsters: Valuing ecosystem services to align environmental management with Sustainable Development Goals | Quantifying Recreational Use of an Estuary: A case study of three bays, Cape Cod, USA | Assessment of environmental services of CREP wetlands in Iowa and the midwestern corn belt |
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Document Status
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Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed and published | Peer reviewed but unpublished (explain in Comment) | Peer reviewed and published |
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Comments on Status
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Published on US EPA EnviroAtlas website | Published on US EPA EnviroAtlas website | Published journal manuscript | Draft manuscript-work progressing | Published report |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas | https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas | https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/ | Not applicable | Not applicable | |
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Contact Name
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EnviroAtlas Team | EnviroAtlas Team | Michelle Ward | Mulvaney, Kate | David Otis |
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Contact Address
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Not reported | Not reported | ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia | US EPA, ORD, NHEERL, Atlantic Ecology Division, Narragansett, RI | U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Iowa State University |
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Contact Email
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enviroatlas@epa.gov | enviroatlas@epa.gov | m.ward@uq.edu.au | Mulvaney.Kate@epa.gov | dotis@iastate.edu |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Summary Description
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The Natural Filtration model has been used to create coverages for several US communities. An example for Durham, NC is shown in this entry. METADATA ABSTRACT: "This EnviroAtlas dataset presents environmental benefits of the urban forest in 193 block groups in Durham, North Carolina... runoff effects are calculated for each block group using i-Tree models (www.itreetools.org), local weather data, pollution data, EPA provided city boundary and land cover data, and U.S. Census derived block group boundary data. This dataset was produced by the US Forest Service to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas." METADATA DESCRIPTION: "The i-Tree Hydro model estimates the effects of tree and impervious cover on hourly stream flow values for a watershed (Wang et al 2008). i-Tree Hydro also estimates changes in water quality using hourly runoff estimates and mean and median national event mean concentration (EMC) values. The model was calibrated using hourly stream flow data to yield the best fit between model and measured stream flow results… After calibration, the model was run a number of times under various conditions to see how the stream flow would respond given varying tree and impervious cover in the watershed… The term event mean concentration (EMC) is a statistical parameter used to represent the flow-proportional average concentration of a given parameter during a storm event. EMC data is used for estimating pollutant loading into watersheds. The response outputs were calculated as kg of pollutant per square meter of land area for pollutants. These per square meter values were multiplied by the square meters of land area in the block group to estimate the effects at the block group level." METADATA DESCRIPTION PARAPHRASED: Changes in water quality were estimated for the following pollutants (entered as separate runs); total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus, soluble phosphorus, nitrites and nitrates, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD5), and copper. "Reduction in annual runoff (census block group)" variable data was derived from the EnviroAtlas water recharge coverage which used the i-Tree Hydro model. | The Total carbon sequestered by tree cover model has been used to create coverages for several US communities. An example for Durham, NC is shown in this entry. DATA FACT SHEET: "This EnviroAtlas community map estimates the total metric tons (mt) of carbon that are removed annually from the atmosphere and sequestered in the above-ground biomass of trees in each census block group. The data for this map were derived from a high-resolution tree cover map developed by EPA. Within each census block group derived from U.S. Census data, the total amount of tree cover (m2) was determined using this remotely-sensed land cover data. The USDA Forest Service i-Tree model was used to estimate the annual carbon sequestration rate from state-based rates of kgC/m2 of tree cover/year. The state rates vary based on length of growing season and range from 0.168 kgC/m2 of tree cover/year (Alaska) to 0.581 kgC/m2 of tree cover/year (Hawaii). The national average rate is 0.306 kgC/m2 of tree cover/year. These national and state values are based on field data collected and analyzed in several cities by the U.S. Forest Service. These values were converted to metric tons of carbon removed and sequestered per year by census block group." | AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "Here we develop a method for assessing future scenarios of environmental management change that improve coastal ecosystem services and thereby, support the success of the SDGs. We illustrate application of the method using a case study of South Africa’s West Coast Rock Lobster fishery within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Marine Protected Area...We calculated the retrospective and current value of the West Coast Rock Lobster fishery using published and unpublished data from various sources and combined the market worth of landed lobster from recreational fishers, small-scale fisheries (SSF), large-scale fisheries (LSF) and poachers. Then using the InVEST tool, we combined data to build scenarios that describe possible futures for the West Coast Rock Lobster fishery (see Table 1). The first scenario, entitled ‘Business as Usual’ (BAU), takes the current situation and most up-to-date data to model the future if harvest continues at the existing rate. The second scenario is entitled ‘Redirect the Poachers’ (RP), which attempts to model implementation of strict management, whereby poaching is minimised from the Marine Protected Area and other economic and nutritional sources are made available through government initiatives. The third scenario, entitled ‘Large Scale Cutbacks’ (LSC), excludes large-scale fisheries from harvesting West Coast Rock Lobster within the TMNP Marine Protected Area." | [ABSTRACT: "Estimates of the types and number of recreational users visiting an estuary are critical data for quantifying the value of recreation and how that value might change with variations in water quality or other management decisions. However, estimates of recreational use are minimal and conventional intercept surveys methods are often infeasible for widespread application to estuaries. Therefore, a practical observational sampling approach was developed to quantify the recreational use of an estuary without the use of surveys. Designed to be simple and fast to allow for replication, the methods involved the use of periodic instantaneous car counts multiplied by extrapolation factors derived from all-day counts. This simple sampling approach can be used to estimate visitation to diverse types of access points on an estuary in a single day as well as across multiple days. Evaluation of this method showed that when periodic counts were taken within a preferred time window (from 11am-4:30pm), the estimates were within 44 percent of actual daily visitation. These methods were applied to the Three Bays estuary system on Cape Cod, USA. The estimated combined use across all its public access sites is similar to the use at a mid-sized coastal beach, demonstrating the value of estuarine systems. Further, this study is the first to quantify the variety and magnitude of recreational uses at several different types of access points throughout the estuary using observational methods. This model focused on the various use by access point type (beaches, landings and way to water, boat use). This work can be transferred to the many small coastal access points used for recreation across New England and beyond." ] | ABSTRACT: "Our initial primary objective (Progress Report I) was prediction of environmental services provided by the 27 Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) wetland sites that had been completed by 2007 in the Prairie Pothole Region of northcentral Iowa. The sites contain 102.4 ha of wetlands and 377.4 ha of associated grassland buffers…" AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION: "The first phase of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service task was to evaluate the contribution of the 27 approved sites to migratory birds breeding in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa. To date, evaluation has been completed for 7 species of waterfowl and 5 species of grassland birds. All evaluations were completed using existing models that relate landscape composition to bird populations. As such, the first objective was to develop a current land cover geographic information system (GIS) that reflected current landscape conditions including the incorporation of habitat restored through the CREP program. The second objective was to input landscape variables from our land cover GIS into models to estimate various migratory bird population parameters (i.e. the number of pairs, individuals, or recruits) for each site. Recruitment for the 27 sites was estimated for Mallards, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and Northern Pintail according to recruitment models presented by Cowardin et al. (1995). Recruitment was not estimated for Canada Geese and Wood Ducks because recruitment models do not exist for these species. Variables used to estimate recruitment included the number of pairs, the composition of the landscape in a 4-square mile area around the CREP wetland, species-specific habitat preferences, and species- and habitat-specific clutch success rates. Recruitment estimates were derived using the following equations: Recruits = 2*R*n where, 2 = constant based on the assumption of equal sex ratio at hatch, n = number of breeding pairs estimated using the pairs equation previously outlined, R = Recruitment rate as defined by Cowardin and Johnson (1979) where, R = H*Z*B/2 where, H = hen success (see Cowardin et al. (1995) for methods used to calculate H, which is related to land cover types in the 4-mile2 landscape around each wetland), Z = proportion of broods that survived to fledge at least 1 recruit (= 0.74 based on Cowardin and Johnson 1979), B = average brood size at fledging (= 4.9 based on Cowardin and Johnson 1979)." ENTERER'S COMMENT: The number of breeding pairs (n) is estimated by a separate submodel from this paper, and as such is also entered as a separate model in ESML (EM 632). |
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Specific Policy or Decision Context Cited
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None identified | None identified | Future rock lobster fisheries management | None identified | None identified |
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Biophysical Context
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No additional description provided | No additional description provided | No additional description provided | None identified | Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa |
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EM Scenario Drivers
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No scenarios presented | No scenarios presented | Fisheries exploitation; fishing vulnerability (of age classes) | N/A | No scenarios presented |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Method Only, Application of Method or Model Run
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Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application | Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application (multiple runs exist) View EM Runs | Method + Application |
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New or Pre-existing EM?
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Application of existing model | Application of existing model | Application of existing model | New or revised model | New or revised 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-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Document ID for related EM
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Doc-198 | Doc-345 | None | None | Doc-372 | Doc-373 |
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EM ID for related EM
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EM-137 | EM-142 | None | None | EM-682 | EM-684 | EM-685 | EM-705 | EM-704 | EM-703 | EM-701 | EM-700 | EM-632 |
EM Modeling Approach
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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EM Temporal Extent
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1999-2010 | 2010-2013 | 1986-2115 | Summer 2017 | 1987-2007 |
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EM Time Dependence
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time-stationary ?Comment:The underlying i-Tree Hydro model, used to generate the annual flows for which EMCs were ultimately applied, operated on an hourly timestep. The final annual flow parameter however is time stationary. |
time-stationary | time-dependent | time-dependent | time-stationary |
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EM Time Reference (Future/Past)
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Not applicable | Not applicable | future time | past time | Not applicable |
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EM Time Continuity
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Not applicable | Not applicable | discrete | discrete | Not applicable |
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EM Temporal Grain Size Value
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Not applicable | Not applicable | 1 | 1 | Not applicable |
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EM Temporal Grain Size Unit
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Not applicable | Not applicable | Year | Day | Not applicable |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Bounding Type
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Geopolitical | Geopolitical | Geopolitical | Physiographic or ecological | Multiple unrelated locations (e.g., meta-analysis) |
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Spatial Extent Name
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Durham, NC and vicinity | Durham NC and vicinity | Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area | Three Bays, Cape Cod | CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program |
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Spatial Extent Area (Magnitude)
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100-1000 km^2 | 100-1000 km^2 | 100-1000 km^2 | 1000-10,000 km^2. | 10,000-100,000 km^2 |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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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) ?Comment:Census block groups |
spatially lumped (in all cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) | spatially distributed (in at least some cases) |
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Spatial Grain Type
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other (specify), for irregular (e.g., stream reach, lake basin) | other (specify), for irregular (e.g., stream reach, lake basin) | Not applicable | length, for linear feature (e.g., stream mile) | other (specify), for irregular (e.g., stream reach, lake basin) |
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Spatial Grain Size
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irregular | irregular | Not applicable | beach length | multiple, individual, irregular sites |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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EM Computational Approach
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Analytic ?Comment:The underlying i-Tree Hydro model, used to generate the annual flows for which EMCs were ultimately applied, was numeric. The final parameter however did not require iteration. |
Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | 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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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Model Calibration Reported?
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Unclear | No | No | Yes | Unclear |
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Model Goodness of Fit Reported?
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No | No | No | No | No |
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Goodness of Fit (metric| value | unit)
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None | None | None | None | None |
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Model Operational Validation Reported?
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Unclear | No |
Yes ?Comment:A validation analysis was carried out running the model using data from 1880 to 2001, and then comparing the output for the adult population with the 2001 published data. |
No | No |
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Model Uncertainty Analysis Reported?
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Unclear | No | No | No | No |
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Model Sensitivity Analysis Reported?
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Unclear | No | No | No | No |
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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
Terrestrial location (Classification hierarchy: Continent > Country > U.S. State [United States only])
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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None | None |
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Marine location (Classification hierarchy: Realm > Region > Province > Ecoregion)
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| None | None |
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None |
Centroid Lat/Long (Decimal Degree)
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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Centroid Latitude
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35.99 | 35.99 | -34.18 | 41.62 | 42.62 |
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Centroid Longitude
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-78.96 | -78.96 | 18.35 | -70.42 | -93.84 |
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Centroid Datum
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None provided | None provided | WGS84 | WGS84 | WGS84 |
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Centroid Coordinates Status
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Estimated | Estimated | Provided | Estimated | Estimated |
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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EM Environmental Sub-Class
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Rivers and Streams | Created Greenspace | Created Greenspace | Atmosphere | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine | Near Coastal Marine and Estuarine | Inland Wetlands | Agroecosystems | Grasslands |
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Specific Environment Type
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Urban areas including streams | Urban and vicinity | Rocky coast, mixed coast, sandy coast, rocky inshore, sandy inshore, rocky shelf and unconsolidated shelf | Beaches | Wetlands buffered by grassland within agroecosystems |
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EM Ecological Scale
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Not applicable | Ecological scale is finer than that of the Environmental Sub-class | Ecological scale corresponds to 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
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EM ID
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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EM Organismal Scale
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Not applicable | Not applicable | Individual or population, within a species | Not applicable | Individual or population, within a species |
Taxonomic level and name of organisms or groups identified
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| None Available | None Available |
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None Available |
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EnviroAtlas URL
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
| None Available | Carbon Storage by Tree Biomass | Big game hunting recreation demand | None Available | Acres of Land Enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) |
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-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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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)
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EM-51 |
EM-493 |
EM-541 |
EM-686 |
EM-702 |
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None |
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