APPENDIX A
Statement of Task
This workshop will use key presentations, case examples, panelist discussion, and open discussion to explore current understanding of multiple environmental stresses in the earth-atmosphere system on natural, managed, and socioeconomic systems, and discuss the types of research needed to improve integrated understanding of these kinds of complex, nonlinear problems.
Workshop presenters and participants are asked to discuss the following questions:
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For the case examples and in general, what is the state of the knowledge base related to the coupling between physical, chemical, ecological, and human systems? What research has been done or is being done in the area of multiple stresses?
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For the case examples and in general, how do multiple stresses interact on different temporal and spatial scales? What does this imply for management options?
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For the case examples and in general, what are the potential nonlinearities in response to multiple stresses?
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How can we improve our capability of integrating scientific knowledge so that we are better able to deal with complex multiple stresses, including uncertainty, in decision-support systems?
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What research, conducted at the regional or sectoral level, might best promote analysis of multiple stresses and provide information useful to decision makers?
