Sensitivity analysis and auto-calibration of an integral dynamic model for river water quality

ESWAT--Extended Soil and Water Assessment Tool--was developed to allow for an integral modelling of the water quantity and quality processes in river basins. ESWAT is a physically based, semi-distributed model, with a moderate-to-large number of parameters and input and output variables (depending o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science and technology 2002-01, Vol.45 (9), p.325-332
Main Authors: VAN GRIENSVEN, A, FRANCOS, A, BAUWENS, W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregation
Applied sciences
Belgium, Dender R
Calibration
Continental surface waters
Design factors
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Engineering geology
Evolutionary algorithms
Exact sciences and technology
Forecasting
Freshwater
Hydrology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Integrals
Mathematical models
Modelling
Models, Statistical
Natural water pollution
Optimization
Parameter sensitivity
Parameters
Pollutant load
Pollution
Pollution load
Process parameters
River basins
River water
Rivers
Sensitivity analysis
Soil
Soil dynamics
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soil water
Statistical methods
Water Pollutants - analysis
Water pollution
Water quality
Water supply
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:ESWAT--Extended Soil and Water Assessment Tool--was developed to allow for an integral modelling of the water quantity and quality processes in river basins. ESWAT is a physically based, semi-distributed model, with a moderate-to-large number of parameters and input and output variables (depending on the desegregation scheme). An auto-calibration procedure was implemented for the optimisation of the process parameters. The procedure is based on a new approach for multi-objective calibration and incorporates the algorithms of the Shuffled Complex Evolution Method. The optimisation uses a global optimisation criterion, whereby several output variables can be taken into account simultaneously. A statistical method enables the aggregation of the objective functions for individual variables, hereby avoiding the weighting problem. To select the important parameters for the optimisation, a sensitivity analysis precedes the calibration. The latter analysis is based on the One-factor-At-a-Time (OAT) design approach. The sensitivity analysis and the calibration procedure are applied to the river Dender in Belgium. The river is characterised by high pollution loads and long residence times in summer periods.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2002.0271