Numerical and qualitative contrasts of two statistical models for water quality change in tidal waters.

ABSTRACT: Two statistical approaches, weighted regression on time, discharge, and season (WRTDS) and generalized additive models (GAMs), have recently been used to evaluate water quality trends in estuaries. Both models have been used in similar contexts despite differences in statistical foundations and products. This study provided an empirical and qualitative comparison of both models using 29 years of data for two discrete time series of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) in the Patuxent River Estuary. Empirical descriptions of each model were based on predictive performance against the observed data, ability to reproduce flow-normalized trends with simulated data, and comparisons of performance with validation datasets. Between-model differences were apparent but minor and both models had comp

SUBMITTER: Beck MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6161536 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature