THE IMAGE GREENHOUSE MODEL AS A MATHEMATICAL SYSTEM

In this paper we present a mathematical formulation of a well-known mo del of the enhanced greenhouse effect: the Dutch IMAGE model. The form ulation is in the form of a dynamical system with forcing term consist ing primarily of human interference in the form of emissions of greenh ouse gases and land use changes. We demonstrate that a mathematical eq uilibrium/stability analysis of this relatively large-scale, nonlinear system is possible and yields useful insights into the underlying env ironmental phenomena. The mathematical formulation and technique used can be viewed as quite generic and applicable to a wide range of envir onmental models. In addition, our formulation should enable mathematic ians and other scientists to begin a deeper structural analysis of the IMAGE (90) model, its assumptions, and conclusions.