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Theoretical Estimates versus Forest Water Yield
Author(s) -
Lee R.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr006i005p01327
Subject(s) - water balance , watershed , yield (engineering) , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , statistics , term (time) , mathematics , econometrics , computer science , geology , materials science , physics , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , machine learning , metallurgy
Theoretical and empirical models used to estimate the long‐term water balance of small catchments are inadequate as a check on the observed water balance. Under rigorous research conditions, the observational data are accurate to about ± 13–30% of yield, while the models are accurate only to about ± 10–60% of yield. Analysis of watershed data shows that the uncertainty in any comparison of theoretical and observed values usually is much greater than the difference between the values compared. In general, such comparisons are not helpful either in confirming or challenging the accuracy of water balance measurements, or in assessing the watertightness of catchment areas.