Complex network based quantitative analysis of marine ecosystem pressures impacting on states and ecosystem services

Marine ecosystem pressure, state and service component identification and theirquantitative impacting relationshipanalysis is the premise and foundation to implement marine ecosystem-based management (MEBM).Based on the network characteristics of pressure-state-ecosystem service compoment relationships, DEMATEL (decision making trial and evaluation laboratory technique) and DPSER (driver-pressure-state-ecosystem service-response) concept model are introducedto analysis the quantitative connectedness among related factors.The determination of spatial scope, selection of conceptual model, quantization method to calculate influence indexes are also discussed in the paper.On this basis, by use of data from MARES (marine and estuarine goal setting project) in south Florida, USA, an empirical analysis was conducted.The results demonstrate that the proposed combined model can effectively handle the target problem, and provide morevaluable information for planning of restoration activities in the studied waters.