KALMAN FILTER CALCULATION OF SAMPLING FREQUENCY WHEN DETERMINING ANNUAL MEAN SOLUTE CONCENTRATIONS
John D. Stednick, L.C. Roig · JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association · 1989
ABSTRACT: A linear filter (Kalman filter) technique was used with a Streamflow‐concentration model the minimize surface water quality sampling frequencies when determining annual mean solute concentrations with a predetermined allowable error. The Kalman filter technique used the stream discharge interval as a replacement for the more commonly used time interval. Using filter computations, the measurement error variance was minimized within the sample size constraints. The Kalman filter application proposed here is applicable only under several conditions including: monitoring is solely to estimate annual mean concentration; discharge measurement errors are negligible; the Streamflow‐concentration model is valid; and monthly samples reflect the total variance of the solute in question.