Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Ever more powerful models and graphical
display tools enable users to build colorful
maps of recharge rates or other water-budget
components on basin and regional scales. Such
maps can be very useful in a qualitative sense
for identifying areas of relatively low or high
recharge rates. Some caution is in order, how-
ever, when viewing these maps in a quanti-
tative sense. Such maps can give a deceptive
impression of accuracy and completeness of
areal coverage, when in actuality only a small
amount of data was used to construct the map.
Analysis of model assumptions is an import-
ant aspect of determining whether a model is
appropriate for a particular application, but
there are additional factors to consider: avail-
ability of required data input, the possible need
for training on model use, and financial and
time constraints of the study. Because of the
difficulties of setting up a complex watershed
or groundwater-flow model, one should conduct
an evaluation a priori to determine whether the
benefits obtained from a model justify the costs
that will be incurred.
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