Technical note: A two-sided affine power scaling relationship to represent the concentration–discharge relationship

Abstract

Abstract. This technical note deals with the mathematical representation of concentration–discharge relationships. We propose a two-sided affine power scaling relationship (2S-APS) as an alternative to the classic one-sided power scaling relationship (commonly known as “power law”). We also discuss the identification of the parameters of the proposed relationship, using an appropriate numerical criterion. The application of 2S-APS to the high-frequency chemical time series of the Orgeval-ORACLE observatory is presented here (in calibration and validation mode): it yields better results for several solutes and for electrical conductivity in comparison with the power law relationship.