Structural uncertainty in watershed phosphorus modeling: Toward a stochastic framework

Abstract

Summary Structural uncertainty is an important source of model predictive errors, but few studies have been conducted on the error-transitivity from model structure to nonpoint source (NPS) prediction. In this study, we focused on the structural uncertainty caused by the algorithms and equations that are used to describe the phosphorus (P) cycle at the watershed scale. The sensitivity of simulated P to each algorithm/equation was quantified using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. The results indicated that the ratios of C:N and P:N for humic materials, as well as the algorithm of fertilization and P leaching contributed the largest output uncertainties. In comparison, the initiation of inorganic P in the soil layer and the transformation algorithm between P pools are less sensitive for the NPS-P predictions. In addition, the coefficient of variation values were quantified as 0.028–0.086, indicating that the structure-induced uncertainty is minor compared to NPS-P prediction uncertainty caused by the model input and parameters. Using the stochastic framework, the cumulative probability of simulated NPS-P data provided a trade-off between expenditure burden and desired risk. In this sense, this paper provides valuable information for the control of model structural uncertainty, and can be extrapolated to other model-based studies.