Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The modeling of lakes, rivers, and estuaries is a fascinating subject that combines interesting facets of mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, and biology. Because of the complexity of natural systems, such modeling is always an approximation of the real world—and sometimes not a very good one. It is for this reason that modeling is not just science but also art. It is also for this reason that there are few good texts offering practical advice on modeling.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Daniel R. Opdyke (2008) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: