Biogeochemical Cycles: A Computer-Interactive Study of Earth System Science and Global Change (Computer-Based Earth System Science Series)

Providing the basic framework for investigating global change and its implications for life on Earth, Biogeochemical Cycles is a comprehensive and accessible examination of this complex and fascinating subject. The opening chapters present the scientific and mathematical fundamentals needed for the study of biogeochemical cycles, such as chemical thermodynamics and differential equations. The remaining chapters investigate the global cycles of the five key nutrient elements -- P, C, N, S, and O -- and examine their mathematical and computer model simulations. The text emphasizes techniques for finding and organizing data on the distribution of elements in the Earth system (including the estimation of missing data), the rational development of box models of biogeochemical cycles, and the uses and limitations of linear numerical models to simulate inherently nonlinear biogeochemical cycles. To give student hands-on experience, the authors have developed a DOS-based computer program entitled BOXES. This program, included with the book, offers a user-friendly environment for constructing numerical models of biogeochemical cycles and avoids detailed numerics. An invaluable teaching tool, BOXES allows students and professors to work interactively in the classroom as each of the cycles is explored, and gives students the opportunity to develop their own scenarios for global change outside the classroom.