Model identification and accuracy for estimation of suspended sediment load

In the present study, three widely used modeling approaches: (1) sediment rating curve (SRC) and optimized OSRC, (2) machine learning models (ML) (random forest (RF) and Dagging-RF (DA-RF)) and (3) the semi-physically based soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) are applied to predict suspended sediment load (Q_s) at the Talar watershed in Iran. Various graphical and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the goodness of fit. Results indicated that the RF model had the best prediction power in the training phase, while the dagging-RF hybrid algorithm outperformed all other models in the validation phase. The OSRC, RF and DA-RF had ‘very good’ performances based on the NSE in the validation phase, SRC showed ‘good’ performance, while the predicted values using SWAT were ‘satisfactory’. Our results suggest that the OSRC and ML models are more suitable for prediction of Q_s in study catchments with poor data availability.