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• Binational trade and investment in food production.
• International treaties and aid policies for food.
• Global migratory flows of labor in food systems.
Macro-scale energy systems:
• National power grids and pipeline networks.
• International energy cartels.
• Energy technology.
• National energy policies (e.g., self-sufficiency).
• International and interregional flows of fuel commodities.
Macro-scale water systems:
• Large river systems especially international rivers.
• Water transfers between regions, climate zones, and continental divides.
• Bulk virtual (or embedded) water trading between nations.
• The earth’s natural hydrologic cycle that delivers water from oceans to continents as precipitation.
• Water technology.
• National water law and water policy.
• International water policy and aid advocacy groups.
12.3.3 Temporal Scales
Temporal scales are conceptually similar to spatial scales. However, temporal scales
tend to be named differently. The most common temporal scales for FEW system
processes are Interval, Daily, Monthly, Seasonal, Annual, and Decadal. (Climate, as
noted in Chap. 11, is often viewed on scales of hundreds or thousands of years).
Models and Data are often available at only one or two of these scales. Process,
Micro, Meso, and Macro concepts apply equally to temporal and spatial scales, but
the meaning for temporal scales varies with context. Meso often refers to monthly
or seasonal data in the temporal context, whereas micro would correspond to interval timescales, and macro to annual or decadal timescales.
The Interval timescale is for high-frequency processes, and this kind of data is
only collected by digital “smart” data loggers and meters. The power grid is the FEW
process that operates natively at interval timescales of seconds or even fractions of
seconds. Power grid failures that last more than a few seconds tend to trigger blackouts because these systems operate at nearly the speed of light. Another FEW system
at the interval timescale is a building’s water use; as toilets are flushed and appliances
are operated, the building’s water use changes dramatically. Water use spikes in cities
at the start and end of every workday. People eat roughly three times per day, and the
preparation of that food happens at equivalent intervals. Finally, weather changes at
timescales of minutes to hours.
12 Questions and Scales
• Binational trade and investment in food production.
• International treaties and aid policies for food.
• Global migratory flows of labor in food systems.
Macro-scale energy systems:
• National power grids and pipeline networks.
• International energy cartels.
• Energy technology.
• National energy policies (e.g., self-sufficiency).
• International and interregional flows of fuel commodities.
Macro-scale water systems:
• Large river systems especially international rivers.
• Water transfers between regions, climate zones, and continental divides.
• Bulk virtual (or embedded) water trading between nations.
• The earth’s natural hydrologic cycle that delivers water from oceans to continents as precipitation.
• Water technology.
• National water law and water policy.
• International water policy and aid advocacy groups.
12.3.3 Temporal Scales
Temporal scales are conceptually similar to spatial scales. However, temporal scales
tend to be named differently. The most common temporal scales for FEW system
processes are Interval, Daily, Monthly, Seasonal, Annual, and Decadal. (Climate, as
noted in Chap. 11, is often viewed on scales of hundreds or thousands of years).
Models and Data are often available at only one or two of these scales. Process,
Micro, Meso, and Macro concepts apply equally to temporal and spatial scales, but
the meaning for temporal scales varies with context. Meso often refers to monthly
or seasonal data in the temporal context, whereas micro would correspond to interval timescales, and macro to annual or decadal timescales.
The Interval timescale is for high-frequency processes, and this kind of data is
only collected by digital “smart” data loggers and meters. The power grid is the FEW
process that operates natively at interval timescales of seconds or even fractions of
seconds. Power grid failures that last more than a few seconds tend to trigger blackouts because these systems operate at nearly the speed of light. Another FEW system
at the interval timescale is a building’s water use; as toilets are flushed and appliances
are operated, the building’s water use changes dramatically. Water use spikes in cities
at the start and end of every workday. People eat roughly three times per day, and the
preparation of that food happens at equivalent intervals. Finally, weather changes at
timescales of minutes to hours.
12 Questions and Scales