Estimating uncertainties in watershed studies

Abstract

Small watersheds have been used widely to quantify chemical fluxes and cycling in terrestrial ecosystems for about the past half century. The small watershed approach has been valuable in characterizing hydrologic and nutrient budgets, for instance, in estimating the net gain or loss of solutes in response to disturbance. However, the uncertainty in these ecosystem budget calculations is generally ignored. Without uncertainty estimates in watershed studies, it is difficult to evaluate the significance of observed differences between watersheds or changes in budgets over time, and erroneous conclusions may be drawn.

Citation

Campbell, John; Yanai, Ruth; Green, Mark. 2011. Estimating uncertainties in watershed studies. EOS. 92(26). doi:10.1029/2011EO260004