Articles | Volume 18, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-18-269-2011
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-18-269-2011
Research article
 | 
03 May 2011
Research article |  | 03 May 2011

Using a variance-based sensitivity analysis for analyzing the relation between measurements and unknown parameters of a physical model

J. Zhao and C. Tiede

Abstract. An implementation of uncertainty analysis (UA) and quantitative global sensitivity analysis (SA) is applied to the non-linear inversion of gravity changes and three-dimensional displacement data which were measured in and active volcanic area. A didactic example is included to illustrate the computational procedure. The main emphasis is placed on the problem of extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (E-FAST). This method produces the total sensitivity indices (TSIs), so that all interactions between the unknown input parameters are taken into account. The possible correlations between the output an the input parameters can be evaluated by uncertainty analysis. Uncertainty analysis results indicate the general fit between the physical model and the measurements. Results of the sensitivity analysis show quite different sensitivities for the measured changes as they relate to the unknown parameters of a physical model for an elastic-gravitational source. Assuming a fixed number of executions, thirty different seeds are observed to determine the stability of this method.