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On the sensitivity of soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) schemes: equifinality and the problem of robust calibration
Citation
Franks, SW and Beven, KJ and Quinn, PF and Wright, IR, On the sensitivity of soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) schemes: equifinality and the problem of robust calibration, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 86 pp. 63-75. ISSN 0168-1923 (1997) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Official URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01681...
Abstract
Current 'physically based' soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) schemes use increasingly complex descriptions
of the physical mechanisms governing evapotranspiration fluxes, thereby requiring the specification of a large number of
parameters controlling the vertical fluxes over a single homogeneous area. Recent attention towards the incorporation of
sub-grid scale spatial wuiability in SVAT parameterisations promises to increase the number of parameters for these models.
In this paper, it is demonstrated that a simple patch scale SVAT model still permits too many degrees of freedom in terms of
fitting the model predictions to calibration or validation data; it is shown that good model fits may be achieved in many
areas of the parameter ~,;pace. Using a Monte Carlo framework, a sensitivity analysis is performed for simulations of data sets
from FIFE and Amazonian sites. This is employed to evaluate the role of each parameter for each forcing dataset, and to
identify the controlling and redundant parameters and processes. The results suggest that equifinality of parameter sets in
calibration to field data must be expected, that there will be a consequent uncertainty in predictive capability and that more
emphasis will be required on identifying the critical controls on evapotranspiration in extending predictions from patch to
landscape scale in different environments.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | SVAT uncertainty climate land-surface hydrology |
Research Division: | Engineering |
Research Group: | Environmental engineering |
Research Field: | Air pollution modelling and control |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Other environmental management |
Objective Field: | Other environmental management not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Franks, SW (Professor Stewart Franks) |
ID Code: | 86410 |
Year Published: | 1997 |
Deposited By: | Engineering |
Deposited On: | 2013-09-14 |
Last Modified: | 2013-10-16 |
Downloads: | 436 View Download Statistics |
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