Introduction

Introducing Virtual Ecology

Virtual Ecology helps us to explain phenomena observed in the ecosystem, and to predict new phenomena. It involves analysing the emergent properties of a mathematical simulation of the ecosystem in a mid-ocean mesocosm. The aim is to create a simulation that is consistent with all available observations.

Individual Based Model + Scenario + Lagrangian Ensemble Integration = Virtual Ecosystem

Complexity

Virtual Ecology is a branch of complexity science. It describes systems so complicated, with so many feedback loops, that we cannot explain phenomena in terms of simple cause-and-effect. Instead, we treat the phenomena as “emergent” properties which depend on all the basic scientific ingredients of the system. Those ingredients are represented by primitive equations that describe the processes of agents in the system. Virtual Ecosystems hold much of the complexity of the natural ecosystem.