Discussion on the Concepts of Water Quality Modelling and Water Resource Management from the Perspective of Environmental Assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/cptgh252Keywords:
Water quality modeling, environmental assessment, water resource management, uncertainty, scenario analysis, adaptive managementAbstract
Water-quality models can help determine how the whole water system will react to changes in conditions and known processes, etc. However, it is not only because of the number. This conceptual paper explores the framing, evaluation and communication of models in the context of water resources management. Models are, in fact, tools for conditional evidence and not copies of aquatic life or autonomous decision-making devices. Therefore, a reliable assessment should start with a specific decision problem, choose a suitable model based on the structure and scale of the problem, record the origin and assumptions of the data, separate calibration from independent evaluation when possible, and present the uncertainty in a manageable way for management. Discussion connects the water-quality simulation to river-basin planning, scenario comparison, adaptive management, stakeholder consultation and distribution problems. No original dataset, field survey, calibration experiment or statistical results are provided. The proposed framework is feasible; however, before it is used for a specific body of water or regulatory decision, site-specific tests must be conducted.
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