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Choosing an appropriate water quality model—a review

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Abstract

Water quality models are quite complex to use even for scientists, requiring knowledge in different areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Hence, the use of these models by a non-specialist is quite complicated, demanding considerable time and research, particularly to choose which model is the most appropriate for a given situation. In this study, a comparative guide is suggested, which can help users select the appropriate water quality model for certain systems and variables. Five models were considered as follows: AQUATOX, CE-QUAL-W2, Spatially Referenced Regression Model on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program 7 (WASP7), which have been widely used during the last 5 years. All of these selected models are free and easily available. It was verified that each model has its particularities and applications; however, the AQUATOX model has several advantages compared with the other models analyzed. In addition, to illustrate the availability of the proposed comparative guide, a case study was carried out to demonstrating the selection process of the selected models.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior CAPES, to the Programa de Apoio à Pós-graduação—PROAP and to the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul—UFMS for their support in the development of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism and Geography, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil

    Cássia Monteiro da Silva Burigato Costa, Izabel Rodrigues Leite, Aleska Kaufmann Almeida & Isabel Kaufmann de Almeida

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  1. Cássia Monteiro da Silva Burigato Costa
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  2. Izabel Rodrigues Leite
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  3. Aleska Kaufmann Almeida
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  4. Isabel Kaufmann de Almeida
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Correspondence to Isabel Kaufmann de Almeida.

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Costa, C.M.d.B., Leite, I.R., Almeida, A.K. et al. Choosing an appropriate water quality model—a review. Environ Monit Assess 193, 38 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08786-1

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