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Steps of a System Analysis

Ecosystem Concepts & Principles

Sources:

Major Ecosystem Processes


	The two major processes of any ecosystem are:
	1) chemical cycling
	2) one-way flows of energy
	An ecosystem maintains overall stability by three chief mechanisms:
	1) controlling the rate of chemical or material cycling within the system
	2) controlling the rate of energy flow through the system
	3) maintaining a diversity of species and wood webs so that system stability is not affected seriously by the loss of some food web links and / or species.

Ecosystem problems can arise by:


	1) Disruption of essential materials/nutrients cycles
	a) changing the rate of cycling by material overloads or leaks
	in the system
	b) breaking of the cycle
	c) introduction of human-made chemicals into the system, especially
	those which have no natural decomposition chain
	2) Disruption of energy flow(s)
	a) entropy or heat build-up in the system by consumption of too much
	energy by human society
	b) changing properties and/or composition of the atmosphere leading
	to an increase or decrease in the solar energy input or output
	from the earth-atmosphere system
	3) Disruption of the ecosystem by destruction of species diversity and/or the food web

Ecologic-Environmental principles


	Your canÕt get something for nothing, or there is not such thing as a free lunch (first law of thermodynamics).

	If you think things are mixed up now just wait, or you canÕt even break even (second law of thermodynamic, energy degradation Òup and alongÓ the food web ).

	Everything must go somewhere, or there is not away (law of conservation of matter, biological magnification??).

	Everything is connected to everything, but how?

	In most cases the greater the diversity of a system the greater its stability.

	Nature frequently but not always ÒknowsÓ best.

	Up to a point the bigger the better; beyond that point, the bigger the worse (negative externalities, negative Òemergent properties,Ó threshold effects)

	Existence of non-linear and threshold effects

3CM group exercise

Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping (3CM) exercise
or
(Confounding Climate Change Messaging??)


	April 7, 2014

Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping (3CM) exercise


	We are going to use a process called Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping (or 3CM). Here we use it as both a team-building exercise and as a way for participants to explore and share the structure, content, beliefs, values, and perceptions of their knowledge and/or concern about a specific topic or concern, in this sample case problems of energy use & management or problems of climate change. We will create individual 3CM posters by responding to a set of questions about problems of energy use & management or problems of climate change by writing down our responses on sticky notes and pasting these notes on our individual 11x17 inch sheets of papers. Let us begin a warm up by having you write on separate Òsticky notesÓ what are the first 5 things (thoughts, ideas) that come to you mind when you think of problems of energy use & management or problems of climate changes. [5 minutes]
	When I say ÒbeginÓ start writing down your 5 things!

4 Questions [15 minutes]


	Question set 1 [use blue sticky notes]
			How do you define Òproblems of energy use & management or problems of climate changeÓ?
			What are specific things that you think of when you think of Òproblems of energy use & management or problems of climate changeÓ?

	Question set 2 [use yellow sticky notes]
			What does Òproblems of energy use & management or problems of climate changeÓ mean to you?
			How do you personally approach energy use and management or problems of climate change research, what is your approach, your paradigm?

	Question set 3 [use green sticky notes]
			What are the important disciplines that make contributions to problems of energy use & management or problems of climate change?
			What are the most important methods and tools to use in problems of energy use & management or problems of climate change research?

	Question set 4 [use red sticky notes]
			What do you think are the most important issues surrounding the field of problems of energy use & management or problems of climate change?
			What do you think are the most important under-researched issues/problems in energy use & management or problems of climate change?

PHASE II: Ranking [10 minutes].

PHASE III: Sharing and Viewing MAPS [15 minutes]

PHASE V: Constructing a TEAM-based 3CM [30 minutes].

QUESTIONS to address in short plenary report:


	1) What were the strongest areas of agreement about energy use & management or climate change issue / problem to emerge from your group?

	2) What were the most important unresolved issues to emerge?

	3) What were the most important things you learned about your team?

	PHASE VI: Final Phase General Discussion [10 minutes]