Inter-Comparison of Gauge-Based Gridded Data, Reanalysis and Satellite Precipitation Product with an Emphasis on Hydrological Modeling

Precipitation is essential for modeling the hydrologic behavior of watersheds. There exist multiple precipitation products of different sources and precision. We evaluate the influence of different precipitation product on model parameters and streamflow predictive uncertainty using a soil water assessment tool (SWAT) model for a forest dominated catchment in India. We used IMD (gridded rainfall dataset), TRMM (satellite product), bias-corrected TRMM (corrected satellite product) and NCEP-CFSR (reanalysis dataset) over a period from 1998–2012 for simulating streamflow. The precipitation analysis using statistical measures revealed that the TRMM and CFSR data slightly overestimate rainfall compared to the ground-based IMD data. However, the TRMM estimates improved, applying a bias correction. The Nash–Sutcliffe (and R2) values for TRMM, TRMMbias and CFSR, are 0.58 (0.62), 0.62 (0.63) and 0.52 (0.54), respectively at model calibrated with IMD data (Scenario A). The models of each precipitation product (Scenario B) yielded Nash–Sutcliffe (and R2) values 0.71 (0.76), 0.74 (0.78) and 0.76 (0.77) for TRMM, TRMMbias and CFSR datasets, respectively. Thus, the hydrological model-based evaluation revealed that the model calibration with individual rainfall data as input showed increased accuracy in the streamflow simulation. IMD and TRMM forced models to perform better in capturing the streamflow simulations than the CFSR reanalysis-driven model. Overall, our results showed that TRMM data after proper correction could be a good alternative for ground observations for driving hydrological models.

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Hydrological modeling for streamflow and sediment yield simulation using the SWAT model in a forest-dominated watershed of north-eastern Himalayas of Kashmir Valley, India

Journal of Hydroinformatics ◽

10.2166/hydro.2022.042 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Sarvat Gull ◽

Shagoofta Rasool Shah

Keyword(s):

Sediment Yield ◽

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Model Performance ◽

Curve Number ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Influence Strategies ◽

North Eastern ◽

Performance Statistics

Abstract In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to examine the spatial variability of sediment yield, quantify runoff, and soil loss at the sub-basin level and prioritize sub-basins in the Sindh watershed due to its computational efficiency in complex watersheds. The Sequential Uncertainty Fitting-2 approach was used to determine the sensitivity and uncertainty of model parameters. The parameter sensitivity analysis showed that Soil Conservation Services Curve Number II is the most sensitive model parameter for streamflow simulation, whereas linear parameters for sediment re-entrainment is the most significant parameter for sediment yield simulation. This study used daily runoff and sediment event data from 2003 to 2013; data from 2003 to 2008 were utilized for calibration and data from 2009 to 2013 were used for validation. In general, the model performance statistics showed good agreement between observed and simulated values of streamflow and sediment yield for both calibration and validation periods. The noticed insights of this research show the ability of the SWAT model in simulating the hydrology of the Sindh watershed and its reliability to be utilized as a decision-making tool by decision-makers and researchers to influence strategies in the management of watershed processes.

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A Review on SWAT Model for Stream Flow Simulation

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.726-731.3792 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 726-731 ◽

pp. 3792-3798

Author(s):

Wen Ju Zhao ◽

Wei Sun ◽

Zong Li Li ◽

Yan Wei Fan ◽

Jian Shu Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Data ◽

Stream Flow ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Flow Simulation ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Distributed Hydrological Model ◽

Rs And Gis ◽

Model Research ◽

Gis And Rs

SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model is one of distributed hydrological model, based on spatial data offered by GIS and RS. This article mainly introduces the SWAT model principle, structure, and it is the application of stream flow simulation in China and other countries, then points out the deficiency existing in the process of model research. In order to service in water resources management work better, experts and scholars further research the rate constant and uncertainty of the simplification of the model parameters, and the combination of RS and GIS to use, and hydrological scale problems.

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A Review of SWAT Model Application in Africa

Water ◽

10.3390/w13091313 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1313

Author(s):

George Akoko ◽

Tu Hoang Le ◽

Takashi Gomi ◽

Tasuku Kato

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Water Resources ◽

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Data Availability ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Model Parameterization ◽

Basin Scale

The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) is a well-known hydrological modeling tool that has been applied in various hydrologic and environmental simulations. A total of 206 studies over a 15-year period (2005–2019) were identified from various peer-reviewed scientific journals listed on the SWAT website database, which is supported by the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). These studies were categorized into five areas, namely applications considering: water resources and streamflow, erosion and sedimentation, land-use management and agricultural-related contexts, climate-change contexts, and model parameterization and dataset inputs. Water resources studies were applied to understand hydrological processes and responses in various river basins. Land-use and agriculture-related context studies mainly analyzed impacts and mitigation measures on the environment and provided insights into better environmental management. Erosion and sedimentation studies using the SWAT model were done to quantify sediment yield and evaluate soil conservation measures. Climate-change context studies mainly demonstrated streamflow sensitivity to weather changes. The model parameterization studies highlighted parameter selection in streamflow analysis, model improvements, and basin scale calibrations. Dataset inputs mainly compared simulations with rain-gauge and global rainfall data sources. The challenges and advantages of the SWAT model’s applications, which range from data availability and prediction uncertainties to the model’s capability in various applications, are highlighted. Discussions on considerations for future simulations such as data sharing, and potential for better future analysis are also highlighted. Increased efforts in local data availability and a multidimensional approach in future simulations are recommended.

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Integrated numerical model for irrigated area water resources management

Journal of Water and Climate Change ◽

10.2166/wcc.2019.042 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 980-991 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Aidi Huo ◽

Xiaofan Wang ◽

Yan Liang ◽

Cheng Jiang ◽

Xiaolu Zheng

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Hydrologic Model ◽

Heihe River Basin ◽

Irrigation District ◽

Heihe River ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Long Term Effects

Abstract The likelihood of future global water shortages is increasing and further development of existing operational hydrologic models is needed to maintain sustainable development of the ecological environment and human health. In order to quantitatively describe the water balance factors and transformation relations, the objective of this article is to develop a distributed hydrologic model that is capable of simulating the surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) in irrigation areas. The model can be used as a tool for evaluating the long-term effects of water resource management. By coupling the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and MODFLOW models, a comprehensive hydrological model integrating SW and GW is constructed. The hydrologic response units for the SWAT model are exchanged with cells in the MODFLOW model. Taking the Heihe River Basin as the study area, 10 years of historical data are used to conduct an extensive sensitivity analysis on model parameters. The developed model is run for a 40-year prediction period. The application of the developed coupling model shows that since the construction of the Heihe reservoir, the average GW level in the study area has declined by 6.05 m. The model can accurately simulate and predict the dynamic changes in SW and GW in the downstream irrigation area of Heihe River Basin and provide a scientific basis for water management in an irrigation district.

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Regional Parameter Estimation of the SWAT Model: Methodology and Application to River Basins in the Peruvian Pacific Drainage

Water ◽

10.3390/w12113198 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3198

Author(s):

Flavio Alexander Asurza-Véliz ◽

Waldo Sven Lavado-Casimiro

Keyword(s):

Water Balance ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Swat Model ◽

Parameters Estimation ◽

Data Availability ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Hydrological Data ◽

The Pacific ◽

Main Components

This study presents a methodology for the regional parameters estimation of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model, with the objective of estimating daily flow series in the Pacific drainage under the context of limited hydrological data availability. This methodology has been designed to obtain the model parameters from a limited number of basins (14) to finally regionalize them to basins without hydrological data based on physical-climatic characteristics. In addition, the bootstrapping method was selected to estimate the uncertainty associated with the parameters set selection in the regionalization process. In general, the regionalized parameters reduce the initial underestimation which is reflected in a better quantification of daily flows, and improve the low flows performance. Furthermore, the results show that the SWAT model correctly represents the water balance and seasonality of the hydrological cycle main components. However, the model does not correctly quantify the high flows rates during wet periods. These findings provide supporting information for studies of water balance and water management on the Peruvian Pacific drainage. The approach and methods developed can be replicated in any other region of Peru.

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Study on Hydrological Simulation of Jin River Based on SWAT-X Model

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.84-85.238 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 84-85 ◽

pp. 238-243

Author(s):

Yu Jie Fang ◽

Wen Bin Zhou ◽

Ding Gui Luo

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Parameter Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Hydrological Simulation ◽

Resources Management ◽

Using Data ◽

Sensitive Parameters ◽

Water Assessment

Hydrological simulation is the basis of water resources management and utilization. In this study, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied to Jin River Basin for hydrological simulation on ArcView3.3 platform. The basic database of Jin river Basin was built using ArcGis9.2. Based on the LH-OAT parameter sensitivity analysis, the sensitive parameters of runoff were identified, including CN2, Gwqmn, rchrg_dp, ESCO, sol_z, SLOPE, SOL_AWC, sol_k, Gwrevap, and then model parameters related to runoff were calibrated and validated using data observed in weifang, yifeng, shanggao and gaoan hydrological stations during 2001-2008. The simulation showed that the simulated values were reasonably comparable to the observed data (Re<20%, R2 >0.7 and Nash-suttcliffe > 0.7), suggesting the validity of SWAT model in Jin River Basin.

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Hydrologic modeling of a Himalayan mountain basin by using the SWAT mode

10.5194/hess-2017-100 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sharad K. Jain ◽

Sanjay K. Jain ◽

Neha Jain ◽

Chong-Yu Xu

Keyword(s):

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Large Population ◽

Water Yield ◽

Model Parameters ◽

Hydrologic Response ◽

Water Balance Components ◽

Daily Streamflow ◽

Hydropower Potential ◽

Himalayan Mountain

Abstract. A large population depends on runoff from Himalayan rivers which have high hydropower potential; floods in these rivers are also frequent. Current understanding of hydrologic response mechanism of these rivers and impact of climate change is inadequate due to limited studies. This paper presents results of modeling to understand the hydrologic response and compute the water balance components of a Himalayan river basin in India viz. Ganga up to Devprayag. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied for simulation of the snow/rainfed catchment. SWAT was calibrated with daily streamflow data for 1992–98 and validated with data for 1999–2005. Manual calibration was carried out to determine model parameters and quantify uncertainty. Results indicate good simulation of streamflow; main contribution to water yield is from lateral and ground water flow. Water yield and ET for the catchments varies between 43–46 % and 57–58 % of precipitation, respectively. The contribution of snowmelt to lateral runoff for Ganga River ranged between 13–20 %. More attention is needed to strengthen spatial and temporal hydrometeorological database for the study basins for improved modeling.

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Application of SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to the Abay River Basin of Ethiopia: The Case of Didessa Sub Basin

10.20944/preprints201805.0147.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Timketa Adula Duguma

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Time Scale ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Peak Flow ◽

Swat Model ◽

Distributed Model ◽

Statistical Measures ◽

Sensitive Parameters ◽

Water Assessment ◽

Soil And Water

Abstract: In this study the semi-distributed model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool), were applied to evaluate stream flow of Didessa sub basin, which is one of the major sub basins in Abay river basin of Ethiopia. The study evaluated the quality of observed meteorological and hydrological data, established SWAT hydrological model, identified the most sensitive parameters, evaluated the best distribution for flow and developed peak flow for major tributary in the sub basin. The result indicated that the SWAT model developed for the sub basin evaluated at multi hydro-gauging stations and its performance certain with the statistical measures, coefficient about determination (R2) and also Nash coefficient (NS) with values ranging 0.62 to 0.8 and 0.6 to 0.8 respectively at daily time scale. The values of R2 and NS increases at monthly time scale and found ranging 0.75 to 0.92 and 0.71 to 0.91 respectively. Sensitivity analysis is performed to identify parameters those were most sensitive for the sub basin. CN2, GWQMN, CH_K, ALPHA_BNK and LAT_TIME are the most sensitive parameters in the sub basin. Finally, the peak flow for 2-10000 returns periods were determined after the best probability distribution is identified in EasyFit computer program.

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Hydrological modeling using the SWAT Model in urban and peri-urban environments: The case of Kifissos experimental sub-basin (Athens, Greece)

10.5194/hess-2021-482 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Evgenia Koltsida ◽

Nikos Mamassis ◽

Andreas Kallioras

Keyword(s):

Surface Runoff ◽

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Model Performance ◽

Curve Number ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Time Intervals ◽

Curve Number Method ◽

Hourly Rainfall

Abstract. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) is a continuous time, semi-distributed river basin model that has been widely used to evaluate the effects of alternative management decisions on water resources. This study, demonstrates the application of SWAT model for streamflow simulation in an experimental basin with daily and hourly rainfall observations to investigate the influence of rainfall resolution on model performance. The model was calibrated for 2018 and validated for 2019 using the SUFI-2 algorithm in the SWAT-CUP program. Daily surface runoff was estimated using the Curve Number method and hourly surface runoff was estimated using the Green and Ampt Mein Larson method. A sensitivity analysis conducted in this study showed that the parameters related to groundwater flow were more sensitive for daily time intervals and channel routing parameters were more influential for hourly time intervals. Model performance statistics and graphical techniques indicated that the daily model performed better than the sub-daily model. The Curve Number method produced higher discharge peaks than the Green and Ampt Mein Larson method and estimated better the observed values. Overall, the general agreement between observations and simulations in both models suggests that the SWAT model appears to be a reliable tool to predict discharge over long periods of time.

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Evaluation of hydrological modeling using climatic station and gridded precipitation dataset

MAUSAM ◽

10.54302/mausam.v71i4.63 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 (4) ◽

pp. 717-728

Author(s):

KHAN WISAL ◽

KHAN ASIF ◽

KHAN AFED ULLAH ◽

KHAN MUJAHID

Keyword(s):

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Indus Basin ◽

Gridded Data ◽

Flow Data ◽

Rainfall Events ◽

Station Data ◽

Measured Flow ◽

Water Assessment

The conventional rainfall data estimates are relatively accurate at some points of the region. The interpolation of such type of data approximates the actual rainfield however in data scarce regions; the resulted rainfield is the rough estimate of the actual rainfall events. In data scarce regions like Indus basin Pakistan, the data obtained through remote sensing can be very useful. This research evaluates two types of gridded data i.e., European Reanalysis (ERA) interim and Japanese Reanalysis 55 years (JRA-55) along with the climatic station data for three small dams in Pakistan. Since no measured flow data is available at these dams, the nearest possible catchments where flow data is available are calibrated and the calibrated parameters of these catchments are then used in actual dams for simulating the flow from all the three types of data using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The results of the comparison of gridded and rainguage precipitation shows that gridded data highly overestimates the climatic station data. Similar results were observed in the comparison of flow simulated by SWAT model. The Peak flood calculated from JRA-55 overestimates while the Era-Interim peak floods are comparable to that of climatic stations in two of the three catchments.

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