CRC Press Environmental Systems Analysis with MATLAB®

Explore the inner workings of environmental processes using a mathematical approach. Environmental Systems Analysis with MATLAB® combines environmental science concepts and system theory with numerical techniques to provide a better understanding of how our environment works. The book focuses on building mathematical models of environmental systems, and using these models to analyze their behaviors. Designed with the environmental professional in mind, it offers a practical introduction to developing the skills required for managing environmental modeling and data handling. The book follows a logical sequence from the basic steps of model building and data analysis to implementing these concepts into working computer codes, and then on to assessing their results. It describes data processing (rarely considered in environmental analysis); outlines the tools needed to successfully analyze data and develop models, and moves on to real-world problems. The author illustrates in the first four chapters the methodological aspects of environmental systems analysis, and in subsequent chapters applies them to specific environmental concerns. The accompanying software bundle is freely downloadable from the book web site. It follows the chapters sequence and provides a hands-on experience, allowing the reader to reproduce the figures in the text and experiment by varying the problem setting. A basic MATLAB literacy is required to get the most out of the software. Ideal for coursework and self-study, this offering: Deals with the basic concepts of environmental modeling and identification, both from the mechanistic and the data-driven viewpoint Provides a unifying methodological approach to deal with specific aspects of environmental modeling: population dynamics, flow systems, and environmental microbiology Assesses the similarities and the differences of microbial processes in natural and man-made environments Analyzes several aquatic ecosystems’ case studies Presents an application of an extended Streeter & Phelps (S&P) model Describes an ecological method to estimate the bioavailable nutrients in natural waters Considers a lagoon ecosystem from several viewpoints, including modeling and management, and more Review "… a clear and comprehensive exposition of not only the fundamental mathematical and statistical techniques needed to model environmental systems, but also of the underlying philosophy that produces models that are physically realistic and result in predictions that are relevant to taking action in the real world. The development of material in each chapter is lucid and will be accessible to students and the novice modeler, yet detailed enough to be of interest to experienced researchers. The example situations that are modeled are both interesting and timely. … This work is destined to become a classic in the environmental modeling literature."―William D. Lakin, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, and Biomedical Engineering, Emeritus, The University of Vermont, Burlington, USA "This book is a must for those starting out on modeling and for those who need more technical background, and indeed pragmatic guidance, the latter partly deriving from the author’s wealth of experience. Beautifully written and illustrated in a truly didactic way, it uses ecological models much of the time to give focus. But it really is an excellent book for anyone interested in understanding systems and their key concepts and methods. A bonus for students and teachers is the provision of MATLAB® based exercises to reinforce the learning potential and enhance skill development."―Tony Jakeman, Australian National University, Canberra About the Author Stefano Marsili-Libelli received a cum laude MS degree in electronic engineering from the University of Pisa in 1973. Later that same year, he joined the University of Florence and since that time has served on the engineering faculty―firs