Process Interactions Can Change Process Ranking in a Coupled Complex System Under Process Model and Parametric Uncertainty

Abstract For a complex hydrologic system with multiple processes and process interactions, global sensitivity analysis is often used to identify important or influential parameters for model development and improvement. The identification is complicated by process model uncertainty, when a system process can be represented by multiple process models. This study develops a new total‐effect process sensitivity index to identify influential processes under model uncertainty. This is done by extending Sobol's total‐effect parameter sensitivity index for one system model to total‐effect process sensitivity index for multiple system models to account for uncertainty in process models and model parameters. The total‐effect process sensitivity index includes not only the first‐order process sensitivity index for measuring the importance of individual processes but also higher‐order indices that account for process interactions. The total‐effect process sensitivity index can identify an influential process that itself and its interactions with other processes influence a model output. The total‐effect process sensitivity index is applied to two numerical examples: (a) Sobol's G*‐functions with analytical solutions of first‐order and total‐effect process sensitivity indices, and (b) groundwater flow models with interactions between recharge, geology, and snowmelt processes. The second evaluation shows that, due to second‐order and higher‐order process interactions, the first‐order and total‐effect process sensitivity indices give different process ranking. It is thus necessary to estimate both first‐order and total‐effect process sensitivity indices to appreciate the difference between the first‐order impact of a process alone and the overall total‐effect impact of the process itself and its interactions with other processes on a model output.