Defining misfit between biogeochemical models and data sets
In: Journal of Marine Systems. Elsevier: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; Amsterdam. ISSN 0924-7963; e-ISSN 1879-1573, more
Also appears in:Grégoire, M.; Brasseur, P.; Lermusiaux, P.F.J. (Ed.) (2003). The use of data assimilation in coupled hydrodynamic, ecological and bio-geo-chemical models of the ocean. Selected papers from the 33rd International Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics, held in Liege, Belgium on May 7-11th, 2001. Journal of Marine Systems, 40-41. Elsevier: Amsterdam. 1-406 pp., more
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| Keywords |
Chemistry > Geochemistry > Biogeochemistry
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
marine biogeochemistry; misfit; subtropical North Atlantic |
| Abstract |
Marine biogeochemistry deals with diverse variables, many of them (especially biological rates) difficult to measure. For parameter estimation and data assimilation, differences between predicted and measured values of these variables must be summarized by a single misfit number. A ‘correct’ measure of misfit incorporates choices about issues that include (1) the relative importance of deviations from a small and a large predicted value; (2) the relative importance of small and large deviations from a predicted value; (3) the relative importance of deviations above and below a predicted value; (4) comparing discrepancies measured in intrinsically different units, like concentrations and rates. Recent papers on estimating ecological parameters represent a variety of different choices. This paper uses a data set and model for the subtropical North Atlantic to demonstrate that the choices made for defining misfit can have a large influence on the ‘best’ estimate of biogeochemically important fluxes and concentrations. |
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