Handbook of Scaling Methods in Aquatic Ecology: Measurement, Analysis, Simulation

Abstract

Researchers in aquatic sciences have long been interested in describing temporal and biological heterogeneities at different observation scales. During the 1970s, scaling studies received a boost from the application of spectral analysis to ecological sciences. Since then, new insights have evolved in parallel with advances in observation technologies and computing power. In particular, during the last 2 decades, novel theoretical achievements were facilitated by the use of microstructure profilers, the application of mathematical tools derived from fractal and wavelet analyses, and the increase in computing power that allowed more complex simulations. The idea of publishing the Handbook of Scaling Methods in Aquatic Ecology arose out of a special session of the 2001 Aquatic Science Meeting of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. The edition of the book is timely because it compiles a good amount of the work done in these last 2 decades.