ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the basic concepts of mathematical modelling and the more general concepts of systems analysis. It describes a statistically-based methodology for deriving a mathematical model characteristic of the conceptual model of an ecosystem from data collected on the system. Systems analysis as applied to ecosystems is simply a computer influenced restatement of the scientific method to help us understand the dynamic behavior of chemicals in the environment. In the foregoing, the various steps in a systems analysis were outlined with little attention to details nor the interdisciplinary approach required to perform such an analysis. Mathematical modelling and simulation techniques, exploiting the availability of high speed computers, can be used to quantify the behavior of systems that change with time. The problems of model discrimination and parameter estimation are frequently referred to as the identification and estimation problem, respectively, particularly in the systems analysis literature.
