• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.179-194
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• 2024

Biophysicochemical processes in water environments and treatment systems have been great concerns of engineers and scientists for controlling the fate and transport of contaminants. These processes are practically formulated as mathematical models written in coupled differential equations. However, because these process-based mathematical models consist of a large number of model parameters, they are complicated in analytical or numerical computation. Users need to perform substantial trials and errors to achieve the best-fit simulation to measurements, relying on arbitrary selection of fitting parameters. Therefore, this study adopted a Bayesian calibration method to estimate best-fit model parameters in a systematic way and evaluated the applicability of the calibration method to biophysicochemical processes of water environments and treatment systems. The Bayesian calibration method was applied to the microbial growth-decay kinetics and flocculation kinetics, of which experimental data were obtained with batch kinetic experiments. The Bayesian calibration method was proven to be a reasonable, effective way for best-fit parameter estimation, demonstrating not only high-quality fitness, but also sensitivity of each parameter and correlation between different parameters. This state-of-the-art method will eventually help scientists and engineers to use complex process-based mathematical models consisting of various biophysicochemical processes.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.157-168
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• 2014

From a complex systems perspective, ecohydrological systems in forests may be characterized with (1) large networks of components which give rise to complex collective behaviors, (2) sophisticated information processing, and (3) adaptation through self-organization and learning processes. In order to demonstrate such characteristics, we applied the recently proposed 'process networks' approach to a temperate deciduous forest in Gwangneung National Arboretum in Korea. The process network analysis clearly delineated the forest ecohydrological systems as the hierarchical networks of information flows and feedback loops with various time scales among different variables. Several subsystems were identified such as synoptic subsystem (SS), atmospheric boundary layer subsystem (ABLS), biophysical subsystem (BPS), and biophysicochemical subsystem (BPCS). These subsystems were assembled/disassembled through the couplings/decouplings of feedback loops to form/deform newly aggregated subsystems (e.g., regional subsystem) - an evidence for self-organizing processes of a complex system. Our results imply that, despite natural and human disturbances, ecosystems grow and develop through self-organization while maintaining dynamic equilibrium, thereby continuously adapting to environmental changes. Ecosystem integrity is preserved when the system's self-organizing processes are preserved, something that happens naturally if we maintain the context for self-organization. From this perspective, the process networks approach makes sense.