Cheviron B. auteur aut IRD Le Bissonnais Y. auteur aut IRD Desprats J. F. auteur aut IRD Couturier A. auteur aut IRD Gumiere S. J. auteur aut IRD Cerdan O. auteur aut IRD Darboux F. auteur aut IRD Raclot Damien auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Using a previously defined framework, we performed a comparative sensitivity analysis of four very different distributed erosion models (MHYDAS, STREAM, PESERA, and MESALES). We investigated their sensitivities to input fluxes, hydrological submodels, and specific erosion parameters gathered into equivalent slope and equivalent erodibility for each model, thus allowing explicit comparisons between models. Tests involved multiple combinations of rain intensities and runoff conditions for selected screenings of the equivalent parameter space, resorting to one-at-a-time displacements and Latin hypercube samples. Sensitivity to spatial distributions of erosion parameters was calculated as a normalized index of numerical spread of soil loss results, obtained at the outlet of a nine-cell virtual catchment endowed with a fixed flow pattern. Spatially homogeneous or distributed parameterizations yielded responses of comparable magnitudes. Equivalent erodibility was often the key parameter, while sensitivity trends depended on input fluxes and the propensity of soils for runoff, affecting continuous and discrete models in clearly dissimilar ways. specialized 068 47 W01510 2011 0043-1397 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010053165 10.1029/2010wr009158 0043-1397 [F B010053165] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010053165 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2011/03/010053165.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2011-04-07 2017-08-23 fdi:010053165 fre