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<br />10 <br /> <br />Computer SimuLation <br /> <br />There is a need for addi.tional research combining detailed field <br />and laboratory investigations. with computer models of the structure and <br />function of ecosystems. . Comp1uter models are particularly well adapted <br />to dealing with problems that: are presently beyond the range of analytical <br />solution because of their si2:e and complexity, or because they cannot <br />be solved in the time available by experimentation on real systems. <br />Ecological problems typically' have both these characteristics (131). <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />An important use of system models is the determine the relative <br />sensitivity of the system to variations in specific inputs. Sensitivity <br />analysis can help to suggest limits within which precipitation can be <br />varied without causing appreciable change in system performance, for <br />instance. Computer models are particularly useful for helping to select <br />the most relevant field experiments from the multitude that might be <br />undertaken. . <br /> <br />Among the existing computer simulation models likely to prove <br />most useful for preliminary analysis of some of the possible effects <br />of weather modification are the Stanford Watershed Model, which imitates <br />the behavior of small stream basins under varying inputs of precipitation, <br />solar radiation, and other climatic variables; and a simulation of <br />transpiration and soil moisture relations being developed at the University <br />of Michigan to evaluate the disposition of precipitation by vegetation <br />and soil at a given point. These models are primarily useful for identi- <br />fying sets of climatic, soil, and vegetation conditions likely to be <br />particularly sensitive to climatic change, in contrast to those that <br />are relatively insensitive. Several classes of modeling effort should <br />be supported from weather modification funds. <br /> <br />Management AZternatives <br /> <br />Operational weather modification agencies should from the beginning <br />support research to develop optimal strategies for incorporating weather <br />modification into the total mix of resource management tools. If the <br />technology should be fully developed, weather modification is likely <br />to be applied without much regard for alternative means of achieving the <br />same end. Review of alternatives is not generally encouraged under the <br />existing American political system, where one group in society may be <br />interested primarily in pushing weather modification and another in <br />promoting transbasin diversion, for instance (140). <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />EcoLogicaL Education <br /> <br />Perhaps the most serious obstacle to successful collection and <br />interpretation of the research data called for in this report is the <br />shortage of properly educated people and of institutions equipped to <br />carry qut the research. Few universitieS are now educating students <br />to make effective use of the analytical tools necessary to deal with <br /> <br />! <br />