Double mass analysis
Open-knowledge reference entry

Double mass analysis is a simple graphical method to evaluate the consistency of hydrological data. The DM approach plots the cumulative data of one variable against the cumulative data of a second variable. A break in the slope of a linear function fit to the data is thought to represent a change in the relation between the variables. This approach provides a robust method to determine a change in the behavior of precipitation and recharge in a simple graphical method. It is a commonly used data analysis approach for investigating the behaviour of records made of hydrological or meteorological data at a number of locations. It is used to determine whether there is a need for corrections to the data - to account for changes in data collection procedures or other local conditions. Such changes may result from a variety of things including changes in instrumentation, changes in observation procedures, or changes in gauge location or surrounding conditions. Double mass analysis for checking consistency of a hydrological or meteorological record is considered to be an essential tool before taking it for analysis purpose. This method is based on the hypothesis that each item of the recorded data of a population is consistent.
An example of a double mass analysis is a "double mass plot", or "double mass curve".
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