Quantifying uncertainty in tracer‐based hydrograph separations

Abstract

A method is presented for quantifying the uncertainty in two‐ and three‐component tracer‐based hydrograph separations. The method relates the uncertainty in computed mixing fractions to both the tracer concentrations used to perform the hydrograph separation and the uncertainties in those concentrations. A two‐component example and a three‐component example illustrate the application of the method. The three‐component example yields uncertainty results very similar to those from a previously published Monte Carlo analysis and requires less computation.