Reply on RC1 [* Cross-Reference *]

Our results clearly improved parameter identifiability compared to OTIS-MCAT that often indicated non-identifiability of TSM parameters. Non-identifiable results led to wrong solute retention times in the storage zone and the exchange flow with the storage zone, with a difference respectively up to four and two orders of magnitude compared to results with identifiable TSM parameters. The severe differences in the transport metrics between results obtained from our proposed approach and results from OTIS-MCAT model also resulted in contrasting interpretation of the hydrologic processes controlling solute transport at the study site.

Thus, our outcomes point to the risks of interpreting TSM results when even one of the TSM parameters is non-identifiable. Our results showed that there is clear potential for increasing parameter identifiability in random sampling approaches for TSMs and for advancing our understanding of hydrological processes controlling in-stream solute transport. ***This entry has been automatically imported via OpenAlex by LIST harvest scripts.

Please refer to doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-149-ac1 for the original and latest version of the publication***