LPMLEn-A Frequency Domain Method to Estimate Vertical Streambed Fluxes and Sediment Thermal Properties in Semi-Infinite and Bounded Domains

This paper presents the LPMLEn, a new method to estimate vertical flux and thermal diffusivity from streambed temperature time series using the frequency domain. The main advantages of this new method are: (a) the use of multiple frequencies and multiple sensors for the parameter estimation; (b) noise/uncertainty handling in an optimal way; (c) the possibility to estimate the parameters with both semi-infinite and bounded domain models; and (d) the compensation for temperature drifts in the data known as transients. The capabilities of the LPMLEn are demonstrated using both synthetic and field data, highlighting the advantages of the bounded domain model over the semi-infinite domain model in the parameter estimation process. Key Points LPMLEn is a frequency domain method to estimate vertical flux and thermal diffusivity from temperature time series LPMLEn uses multiple frequencies and sensors to estimate parameters and their uncertainty for both bounded or semi-infinite domains The bounded domain model version provides improved parameter estimates in heterogeneous media