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1. A review of how we study coastal and marine conflicts: is social science taking a broad enough view?

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00319-z  

   Dahlet, Lol Iana; Selim, Samiya A; van_Putten, Ingrid (September 2023, Maritime Studies)

   Abstract Conflict in the marine environment is of increasing relevance as blue growth boundaries are pushed and resource access and use are in dispute. Social science disciplines have a long history and a wide range of approaches for studying conflict. However, understanding the approaches used to study marine conflict is challenging since the literature is large, broad, difficult to navigate, and there is little connection between conflict themes and the associated methods used to analyze these conflicts. In the present study, we take a first step to address this by systematically reviewing 109 peer-reviewed articles that employ empirical social science methods to study marine conflict. We find that studies on marine conflicts have centered on disputed space, mainly at local scale, and natural resources, such as fish. The main parties at the center of the conflicts are small-scale fisheries and public authorities, although with a growing presence of blue growth sectors. Most studies employed qualitative approaches to study marine conflicts. Current gaps in the understanding of marine conflict include gaps in understanding relational interactions and historical causal events. The need for social science research into marine conflict and the application of multiple social science methods is ongoing as different constellations of conflict actors emerge and as disputed ocean spaces expand beyond EEZs, to include polar regions, and the sea floor. 

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2. Unraveling complex causal processes that affect sustainability requires more integration between empirical and modeling approaches

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2215676120  

   Schlüter, Maja; Brelsford, Christa; Ferraro, Paul J.; Orach, Kirill; Qiu, Minghao; Smith, Martin D. (October 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Scientists seek to understand the causal processes that generate sustainability problems and determine effective solutions. Yet, causal inquiry in nature–society systems is hampered by conceptual and methodological challenges that arise from nature–society interdependencies and the complex dynamics they create. Here, we demonstrate how sustainability scientists can address these challenges and make more robust causal claims through better integration between empirical analyses and process- or agent-based modeling. To illustrate how these different epistemological traditions can be integrated, we present four studies of air pollution regulation, natural resource management, and the spread of COVID-19. The studies show how integration can improve empirical estimates of causal effects, inform future research designs and data collection, enhance understanding of the complex dynamics that underlie observed temporal patterns, and elucidate causal mechanisms and the contexts in which they operate. These advances in causal understanding can help sustainability scientists develop better theories of phenomena where social and ecological processes are dynamically intertwined and prior causal knowledge and data are limited. The improved causal understanding also enhances governance by helping scientists and practitioners choose among potential interventions, decide when and how the timing of an intervention matters, and anticipate unexpected outcomes. Methodological integration, however, requires skills and efforts of all involved to learn how members of the respective other tradition think and analyze nature–society systems. 

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3. Coastal and Marine Socio-Ecological Systems: A Systematic Review of the Literature

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.648006  

   Refulio-Coronado, Sonia; Lacasse, Katherine; Dalton, Tracey; Humphries, Austin; Basu, Suchandra; Uchida, Hirotsugu; Uchida, Emi (April 2021, Frontiers in Marine Science)

   null (Ed.)

   The socio-ecological systems (SESs) framework provides cross-disciplinary insight into complex environmental problems. Numerous studies have applied the SES framework to coastal and marine environments over the last two decades. We review and analyze 98 of those studies to (i) describe how SES concepts were examined and measured, (ii) describe how the studies included feedbacks and thresholds, and (iii) identify and analyze elements unique to coastal and marine SES frameworks. We find that progress has been made in understanding key SES properties in coastal and marine ecosystems, which include resilience, adaptive capacity, vulnerability, and governance. A variety of methods has been developed and applied to analyze these features qualitatively and quantitatively. We also find that recent studies have incorporated land-based stressors in their analyses of coastal issues related to nutrient runoff, bacterial pollution, and management of anadromous species to represent explicit links in land-to-sea continuums. However, the literature has yet to identify methods and data that can be used to provide causal evidence of non-linearities and thresholds within SES. In addition, our findings suggest that greater alignment and consistency are needed in models with regard to metrics and spatial boundaries between ecological and social systems to take full advantage of the SES framework and improve coastal and marine management. 

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4. Emerging investigator series: the role of phage lifestyle in wastewater microbial community structures and functions: insights into diverse microbial environments

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EW00755J  

   Delgado Vela, Jeseth; Al-Faliti, Mitham (January 2023, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology)

   For over a century, environmental engineers have attempted to control the prokaryotic community biological wastewater treatment processes, but there is growing interest in both understanding and harnessing the activity of phages in wastewater bioprocesses. While phages are known to be present and abundant, their ecological role, potential benefits, and impacts on wastewater biological processes are not fully understood. Fundamental knowledge on how phages infect host cells from relatively simple pure culture studies alongside environmental studies from marine and soil systems can be used to predict the potential impact of phages in diverse and dynamic wastewater environments. This frontier review is focused on what is known about the molecular mechanisms by which phages infect bacteria and how that could apply to biological process control and operation within wastewater treatment systems. Here, we specifically focus on highlights from studies on the molecular mechanisms that drive lysis and lysogeny within phage cells and the impacts on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and nutrient removal within a biological wastewater process. 

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5. Thinking in Terms of Change over Time: Opportunities and Challenges of Using System Dynamics Models

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10047-y  

   Eidin, Emil; Bielik, Tom; Touitou, Israel; Bowers, Jonathan; McIntyre, Cynthia; Damelin, Dan; Krajcik, Joseph (June 2023, Journal of Science Education and Technology)

   Abstract Understanding the world around us is a growing necessity for the whole public, as citizens are required to make informed decisions in their everyday lives about complex issues. Systems thinking (ST) is a promising approach for developing solutions to various problems that society faces and has been acknowledged as a crosscutting concept that should be integrated across educational science disciplines. However, studies show that engaging students in ST is challenging, especially concerning aspects like change over time and feedback. Using computational system models and a system dynamics approach can support students in overcoming these challenges when making sense of complex phenomena. In this paper, we describe an empirical study that examines how 10th grade students engage in aspects of ST through computational system modeling as part of a Next Generation Science Standards-aligned project-based learning unit on chemical kinetics. We show students’ increased capacity to explain the underlying mechanism of the phenomenon in terms of change over time that goes beyond linear causal relationships. However, student models and their accompanying explanations were limited in scope as students did not address feedback mechanisms as part of their modeling and explanations. In addition, we describe specific challenges students encountered when evaluating and revising models. In particular, we show epistemological barriers to fruitful use of real-world data for model revision. Our findings provide insights into the opportunities of a system dynamics approach and the challenges that remain in supporting students to make sense of complex phenomena and nonlinear mechanisms. 

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