Uncertainties in measuring and estimating water-budget components: Current state of the science

Reducing uncertainty in quantifying basin-scale water-budget components is one of the most vexing problems for water-resource managers. Although a vast literature addresses methods and scales of component estimates, uncertainty associated with these estimates is often lacking. Here we review sources of uncertainty and compile reported uncertainty estimates for measurement and estimation methods for six water-budget components: precipitation, streamflow, evapotranspiration, subsurface discharge, infiltration, and recharge. Quantifying the uncertainty in each water-budget component data is required before total water-budget uncertainty can be determined.This article is categorized under:Science of Water > Hydrological ProcessesScience of Water > Methods

Automated summary

Reducing uncertainty in quantifying basin-scale water-budget components is a challenging issue for water-resource managers. This article reviews sources of uncertainty and compiles reported uncertainty estimates for six water-budget components. Before determining the total water-budget uncertainty, quantifying the uncertainty in each component data is necessary.