Suspended sediment estimation using neuro-fuzzy and neural network approaches

The abilities of neuro-fuzzy (NF) and neural network (NN) approaches to model the streamflow-suspended sediment relationship are investigated. The NF and NN models are established for estimating current suspended sediment values using the streamflow and antecedent sediment data. The sediment rating curve and multi-linear regression are also applied to the same data. Statistic measures were used to evaluate the performance of the models. The daily streamflow and suspended sediment data for two stations-Quebrada Blanca station and Rio Valenciano station-operated by the US Geological Survey were used as case studies. Based on comparison of the results, it is found that the NF model gives better estimates than the other techniques.