Ronald N. Kickert

Names of published computer models in the environmental biological sciences: A partial list and new potential risks

Hundreds of publications on environmental mathematical computer models for conducting simulation analyses have been produced over the last 15 years. They can be found throughout the periodical professional research journals and books in which various types of environmental and ecological scientists publish their work. Many of these models have been given unique names by their developers for ease of reference. Whether this is a useful and meaningful practice might be debatable, but it is irrelevant for the purpose of this paper simply because it does occur.

Book Reviews : Updated inventory of agricultural computer programs available for extension use J. Robert Strain and Sherry Fieser Food and Resource Economics Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611; 1982, 186 pp.,

In chapter 4, K Leimkuehler presents a critical and cogent review of energy modeling, including Forresterand Mesarovic-type modes J D Lebel’s outstanding contribution in chapter 8 is a comprehensive bibliography (over 30 tightly printed pages!) on Forrester-type system dynamics. In chapter 10, J P. C Kleijnen reviews the statistical design of experiments, a well developed discipline with a huge literature almost unknown to many engineering users of simulation. In chapter 11, T. Oren discusses computer-aided modeling and the possible use of data bases, the latter subject is further treated by C R Standridge and A A B Pritsker in chapter 18 Pritsker and C D Pegden introduce the important SLAM (-ombined-simulation language in chapter 13 Chapter 12 is a highly recommended, up-to-date review of bond-graph anal-

3.50 (softcover)

Ever since the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969 established the requirement for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS’s) for developments relying on federal funds, the process of preparing EIS’s has been evolving. While presumably to describe possible impacts, the process has often been a collection of various inventories and surveys interlaced with opinions from staff meetings and public hearings. The process has been far more art, or at most, natural history, than it has been applied science. In view of the fact that a considerable amount of ecological simulation for both terrestrial and aquatic systems has taken place in the scientific research arena in the last few years, your associate editor has been very interested in why this work does not seem to have been applied in the preparation of EIS’s.

Environmental Impact Systems: History and status

A very successful meeting of the Western Simulation Council, held on January 8, 1980, examined the topic of Simulation Applied to Ecological ProbZems. The meeting was hosted by, and took place at, the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station in Berkeley, California. Thirty people from fifteen organizations, plus John and Suzette McLeod and Martin Dost representing the Western Simulation Council, participated in a complete day of discussions. Highlights included nine presentations by scientists in various areas of environmental and ecological sciences and two talks from an SCS perspective, as well as a great deal of shop talk over ten-course lunches. Ronald Kickert of the University of California’s Division of Biological Control in Albany coordinated the program planning, together with Lin Y. Bowie, formerly of the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station in Berkeley, who supervised local arrangements on behalf of the host