The Export Rate model applies a fixed constituent generation rate to a functional unit (FU) to calculate total constituent load. It requires only a single parameter so is quick to use and therefore useful for exploring sensitivity.
Scale
This model is applied at the functional unit scale within a sub-catchment.
The model is a scaling factor and is independent of the basic time-step of the model. It is therefore more appropriate for estimating long term loads.
Principal developer
Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology.
Version
Source v3v4.8.103
Availability/conditions
Export rate is automatically installed with Source.
Flow phase
The Export Rate model is a simple area-based scaling factor for constituents from a functional unit. It defines a value between 0 and ∞, representing the physical amount of constituent exported per unit area per year.
For constituent C
| Equation 1 |
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Input data
A single value representing the export rate in units of tonne/ha/year is required. Area of the FU is taken from the model.
For export rates: Generic lookup tables of export rates are available but there can be large variabilit between areas, which can introduce considerable uncertainty (Fletcher et al, 2004). Long-term data is required to derive reliable local values. Robust estimation of export rates is particularly difficult in environments where most of the load is delivered in a few events (eg. Tropics). The export rate model can therefore be appropriate for estimation of mean annual loads over long periods but generally provides poor estimates over shorter time-steps (a few years or less). |
Parameters or settings
The parameters for this model are summarised in Table 1.
Table 1. Model parameters
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