Relevance of spatially-variable parameters in a semi-distributed model for pollutograph simulation at the catchment scale

Models of runoff water quality at the scale of an urban catchment usually rely on buildup/washoff formulations obtained through small-scale experiments. Often, the physical interpretation of the model parameters, valid at the small-scale, is transposed to large-scale applications. In this communication the parameter distributions of a water quality model are analyzed according to different levels of spatial variability of the parameters. The simulated variable is the total suspended solid concentration at the outlet of a periurban catchment in the Paris region (2.3 km²). This application suggests that buildup/washoff models applied at the catchment-scale do not maintain their physical meaning, but should be considered as “black-box” models.

Jaar van publicatie:2015