NeWater - Water quality fingerprint methods and examples

Within the framework of fingerprinting water quality, an invaluable tool could be the Mass response function model proposed by Rinaldo (Rinaldo 1987) for investigating the role of precipitation patterns in concentration discharge dynamics. This Mass response modelling (MRF) approach would potentially have the possibility to provide good estimates of concentrations of solutes while only measuring precipitation and discharge within a catchment, thus providing an attractable alternative to elaborate and expensive measurements of the concentration of various solutes on a highly detailed temporal scale. Moreover, the MRF approach could provide a tool to compare catchments of various scales, as long as the input parameters (precipitation and discharge) are provided.