Hello,
I try to calibrate the SDR model, but I don’t have available TSS from the station in my study area.
So, I use the available data (total solid in ml/l and surface runoff in million cu.m.) and convert units in ton/yr.
Is it possible to use total solid in tons per year to compare with the estimated sediment export of the SDR model?
Best regard,
May
Hi @MayJi -
I’m not a hydrologist, but here’s my opinion. Since the total solids include both suspended and dissolved material, it seems that a smaller portion of the measured value is likely to actually be sediment. But TSS also can include non-sediment material, so either way we are still dealing with the possibility of comparing just sediment (from the SDR model) against sediment + other material (from the monitoring station data). I don’t know how much this would affect the comparison, not knowing how much of the solids are sediment versus not. Does anyone know if the non-sediment solids tend to be a significant portion of the measured value?
My initial thought is that if you only have total solids, it may be ok to use them for observed data, with the caveat that the observed data does not only include sediment. And any calibration adjustment that you might make to the model based on it may be an over-correction. I’d be interested to hear what @RafaSchmitt (who is a hydrologist) has to say.
~ Stacie
Hi @MayJi,
good question. Would be good to know what data you have exactly. Are your data including TDS (total dissolved solids) and TSS (total suspended solids) OR is it that you have suspended sediment and bedload sediment together (i.e., total load)?
Thank you for your opinion and suggestion:slightly_smiling_face:
Hi @MayJi those are from the Ing River in Thailand, so a (sub) tropical setting, right? If TS are total solids, and SS are suspended solids, then there is a quite big gap between the two, i.e., there would be lot of dissolved solids (DS). High DS might be because in tropical rivers you have a lot of dissolved organic matter etc.
Conceptually, the suspended solids (e.g., sediment) could be estimated from the difference between DS and TS. If you are in contact with the lab, I would try to reach out and ask for their protocol getting those values.
Also: note that you have concentrations - so you will need discharge data to convert to loads, which can then be compared to invest results.
Thank you for your information and recommendation.
