Fifteen years of WRTDS for advancing water-quality science: A critical review of methodological developments and global applications
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Abstract
Contamination by nutrients, major ions, and metals poses a major threat to global water sustainability. Understanding how these pollutants vary across time and space requires long-term monitoring and robust statistical approaches. Traditional methods, however, often struggle to account for streamflow variability, seasonality, and nonlinear responses. Introduced in 2010, the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) method offers a flexible, data-driven framework that generates both observed and flow-normalized estimates of concentration and load. Over the past 15 years, WRTDS has become a state-of-the-art tool for water-quality science and management, with applications spanning a wide range of hydrologic, climatic, and policy contexts─including major watersheds across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Arctic. In this review of WRTDS, we document the method’s major advancements, examine its expanding geographic and thematic applications, and summarize its relevance to water-quality management programs and policies worldwide. We also discuss its performance relative to other regression and machine-learning approaches. Finally, we identify key priorities for future development to support the continued evolution of WRTDS as a trusted and practical tool for scientists and managers working to protect and sustain water resources.
Suggested Citation
Zhang, Q., Hirsch, R.M., DeCicco, L.A., and Murphy, J.C., 2026, Fifteen years of WRTDS for advancing water-quality science: A critical review of methodological developments and global applications: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 60, no. 15, p. 11170-11182, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c12895.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Fifteen years of WRTDS for advancing water-quality science: A critical review of methodological developments and global applications |
| Series title | Environmental Science and Technology |
| DOI | 10.1021/acs.est.5c12895 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 15 |
| Publication Date | April 07, 2026 |
| Year Published | 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Chemical Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Central Midwest Water Science Center |
| Description | 13 p. |
| First page | 11170 |
| Last page | 11182 |