Modeling of Marine Ecosystems: Experience, Modern Approaches, Directions of Development (Review). Part 1: End-to-End Models

Abstract

Purpose. Despite of a relatively short history of marine systems modeling, which started in late 1960s – early 1970s, this discipline is developing quite intensively. Publications on marine system modeling number in the thousands. The purpose of the article is to review the achievements accumulated in this field. The main attention is paid to the general principles in marine systems modeling, and to the spectrum of the applied modern approaches. The results of analysis of more than 200 sources, i.e. research papers, monographs, sections in books, internet-resources, are summarized in the paper of two parts published separately. Methods and Results. Over the past decades, our understanding of the patterns of marine ecosystems functioning has increased significantly, as well as the possibilities of ecological monitoring and information technologies. At the same time, the increasing number of global and regional environmental programs and projects in the field of rational use of marine resources, protection of marine ecosystems, and assessment of the climate change impacts has resulted in growth of demands for quantitative tools providing the ecosystem-based support of the initiatives in rational management of sea resources. This, in its turn, has required more complex multi-component models and led to significant increase in the number of such models. The first part of this review is focused on the end-to-end models which represent the complex integrative tools assisting in taking correct decisions for rational management of marine resource. Conclusions. Providing testing of scenarios “what, if”, the end-to-end models are the effective modeling instruments for assessing the consequences of climatic and anthropogenic impacts on all the trophic levels of marine ecosystems including bio-geo-chemical cycle, microbial loop, and various kinds of detritus. These models are not intended for taking tactical decisions (in such cases, local object-oriented sub-models should be used), but they are indispensable instruments in strategic planning and complex assessing of the management strategies.