EPC Methods An Exploration of Methods and Context for the Production of Rapid Reviews.

摘要

Simulation modeling is a powerful scientific tool that allows us to ask questions, assess alternatives, and support decision making for environmental management. Appraising the individual and cumulative effects of conservation practices on water quality using monitoring data can be costly and, in some cases, impractical, especially for retrospective studies. Watershed models can facilitate dynamic hydrologic and water quality assessments under scenarios that cannot be investigated practically using actual watershed experiments. For these reasons, watershed modeling was the For these reasons, watershed modeling was the primary approach encouraged in the NIFA-CEAP projects to evaluate existing and potential conservation practices; examine the role of location, timing, and interactions between practices on water quality; and identify optimal sets of conservation practices to meet water quality priorities. Most of the NIFA-CEAP projects used watershed modeling to predict pollutant loads under historic land use, climatic, and conservation conditions at different spatial and temporal scales; to estimate the effects of existing and potential land treatment on pollutant loads at the watershed scale; or to determine the optimal suite of practices for achieving water quality goals at the lowest cost. Some of the projects used models to explore geo-spatial and temporal factors that determine the effectiveness of conservation practices and to understand trade-offs between water quality and socioeconomic constraints for implementing practices at the watershed scale. A few of the NIFA-CEAP projects used models to build knowledge about a watershed system, including.