ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces several key attributes that distinguish complex systems from those that are merely complicated. It then presents a distinction between system complexity (i.e., where these attributes are intrinsic to the system) and modeling complexity (i.e., where these attributes are artifacts of trying to model a system). Later, the chapter illustrates a case of a coupled natural and human (CNH) complex system by analyzing water problems in Bangladesh’s southwest delta region through the lens of complexity science. Important interconnections and interactions between and among the elements and subsystems of hydrology; policy and management of water resources, agriculture, and fisheries; external drivers such as disputes over water sharing in transboundary rivers and climate change; and public health of the region are discussed. Evidence of nonlinear relationships, feedback, and emergence in southwest Bangladesh’s CNH system is also presented with examples.
