ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to undertake an holistic approach to the
Southern Ocean ecosystem. Table 15.1 lists the principal
environmental features of this system. Whether the Southern
Ocean is considered a single ecosystem or a series of
interconnected ecosystems is purely a matter of choice.
The sea ice, the pelagic waters, and the benthic sediments
can be viewed as separate ecosystems, and these can be further
subdivided on geographic and depth criteria. However, itmust
be borne in mind that they are all interconnected. Previous
chapters have discussed submodels of component populations
or trophic levels. Models of whole systems, or ecosystems,
focus on the ways that the individual components of the
ecosystem are linked to each other, and the ways that
the state variables (components, or compartments within
the system, e.g., trophic levels) are linked together, and
how the variables interact with the ecosystem, forcing
functions (inputs, e.g., energy) that drive the system.
A systems model provides a conceptual hypothesis within
which to explore different sets of data. It can identify which
critical observations have not been made, and it suggests
laboratory and environmental experiments that might be
performed (Knox 1986).
