An interdisciplinary swat ecohydrological model to define catchment-scale hydrologic partitioning

Abstract. Land use and climate change have long been implicated in modifying ecosystem services, such as water quality and water yield, biodiversity, and agricultural production. To account for future effects on ecosystem services, the integration of physical, biological, economic, and social data over several scales must be implemented to assess the effects on natural resource availability and use. Our objective is to assess the capability of the SWAT model to capture short-duration monsoonal rainfall-runoff processes in complex mountainous terrain under rapid, event-driven processes in a monsoonal environment. To accomplish this, we developed a unique quality-control gap-filling algorithm for interpolation of high frequency meteorological data. We used a novel multi-location, multi-optimization calibration technique to improve estimations of catchment-wide hydrologic partitioning. We calibrated the interdisciplinary model to a combination of statistical, hydrologic, and plant growth metrics. In addition, we used multiple locations of different drainage area, aspect, elevation, and geologic substrata distributed throughout the catchment. Results indicate scale-dependent sensitivity of hydrologic partitioning and substantial influence of engineered features. While our model accurately reproduced observed discharge variability, the addition of hydrologic and plant growth objective functions identified the importance of culverts in catchment-wide flow distribution. The results of this study provide a valuable resource to describe landscape controls and their implication on discharge, sediment transport, and nutrient loading. This study also shows the challenges of applying the SWAT model to complex terrain and extreme environments. By incorporating anthropogenic features into modeling scenarios, we can greatly enhance our understanding of the hydroecological impacts on ecosystem services.

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Using the SWAT model to improve process descriptions and define hydrologic partitioning in South Korea

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-18-539-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 539-557 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

C. L. Shope ◽

G. R. Maharjan ◽

J. Tenhunen ◽

B. Seo ◽

K. Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Swat Model ◽

Extreme Environments ◽

Flow Distribution ◽

Capture Event ◽

Growth Metrics ◽

Spatially Distributed ◽

Hydrologic Partitioning

Abstract. Watershed-scale modeling can be a valuable tool to aid in quantification of water quality and yield; however, several challenges remain. In many watersheds, it is difficult to adequately quantify hydrologic partitioning. Data scarcity is prevalent, accuracy of spatially distributed meteorology is difficult to quantify, forest encroachment and land use issues are common, and surface water and groundwater abstractions substantially modify watershed-based processes. Our objective is to assess the capability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to capture event-based and long-term monsoonal rainfall–runoff processes in complex mountainous terrain. To accomplish this, we developed a unique quality-control, gap-filling algorithm for interpolation of high-frequency meteorological data. We used a novel multi-location, multi-optimization calibration technique to improve estimations of catchment-wide hydrologic partitioning. The interdisciplinary model was calibrated to a unique combination of statistical, hydrologic, and plant growth metrics. Our results indicate scale-dependent sensitivity of hydrologic partitioning and substantial influence of engineered features. The addition of hydrologic and plant growth objective functions identified the importance of culverts in catchment-wide flow distribution. While this study shows the challenges of applying the SWAT model to complex terrain and extreme environments; by incorporating anthropogenic features into modeling scenarios, we can enhance our understanding of the hydroecological impact.

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A collaborated framework to improve hydrologic ecosystem services management with sparse data in a semi-arid basin

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2021.146 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yifan Wu ◽

Yang Xu ◽

Guodong Yin ◽

Xuan Zhang ◽

Chong Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Swat Model ◽

Water Yield ◽

Infiltration Capacity ◽

Runoff Simulation ◽

Invest Model ◽

Integrated Valuation ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract Applying various models to assess hydrologic ecosystem services (HESs) management has the potential to encourage efficient water resources allocation. However, can a single model designed on these principles be practical to carry out hydrologic ecosystem services management for all purposes? We address this question by fully discussing the advantages of the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model, the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT), and the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The analysis is carried both qualitatively and quantitatively at the Yixunhe River basin, China, with a semi-arid climate. After integrating the advantages of each model, a collaborated framework and model selection method have been proposed and validated for optimizing the HESs management at the data sparse scenario. Our study also reveals that the VIC and SWAT model presents the better runoff reproducing ability of the hydrological cycle. Though the InVEST model has less accuracy in runoff simulation, the interannual change rate is similar to the other two models. Furthermore, the InVEST model (1.08 billion m3) has larger simulation result than the SWAT model (0.86 billion m3) for the water yield, while both models have close results for sediment losses assessment.

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Modeling freshwater quality scenarios with ecosystem-based adaptation in the headwaters of the Cantareira system, Brazil

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-22-4699-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 4699-4723 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Denise Taffarello ◽

Raghavan Srinivasan ◽

Guilherme Samprogna Mohor ◽

João Luis Bittencourt Guimarães ◽

Maria do Carmo Calijuri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Supply ◽

Best Management Practices ◽

Management Practices ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Swat Model ◽

Water Yield ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Land Use Scenario

Abstract. Although hydrologic models provide hypothesis testing of complex dynamics occurring at catchments, freshwater quality modeling is still incipient at many subtropical headwaters. In Brazil, a few modeling studies assess freshwater nutrients, limiting policies on hydrologic ecosystem services. This paper aims to compare freshwater quality scenarios under different land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, one of them related to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), in Brazilian headwaters. Using the spatially semi-distributed Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, nitrate, total phosphorous (TP) and sediment were modeled in catchments ranging from 7.2 to 1037 km2. These headwaters were eligible areas of the Brazilian payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects in the Cantareira water supply system, which had supplied water to 9 million people in the São Paulo metropolitan region (SPMR). We considered SWAT modeling of three LULC scenarios: (i) recent past scenario (S1), with historical LULC in 1990; (ii) current land-use scenario (S2), with LULC for the period 2010–2015 with field validation; and (iii) future land-use scenario with PES (S2 + EbA). This latter scenario proposed forest cover restoration through EbA following the river basin plan by 2035. These three LULC scenarios were tested with a selected record of rainfall and evapotranspiration observed in 2006–2014, with the occurrence of extreme droughts. To assess hydrologic services, we proposed the hydrologic service index (HSI), as a new composite metric comparing water pollution levels (WPL) for reference catchments, related to the grey water footprint (greyWF) and water yield. On the one hand, water quality simulations allowed for the regionalization of greyWF at spatial scales under LULC scenarios. According to the critical threshold, HSI identified areas as less or more sustainable catchments. On the other hand, conservation practices simulated through the S2 + EbA scenario envisaged not only additional and viable best management practices (BMP), but also preventive decision-making at the headwaters of water supply systems.

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How to Optimize Ecosystem Services Based on a Bayesian Model: A Case Study of Jinghe River Basin

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154149 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4149

Author(s):

Chengyan Tang ◽

Jing Li ◽

Zixiang Zhou ◽

Li Zeng ◽

Cheng Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Swat Model ◽

Agricultural Productivity ◽

Spatial Optimization ◽

Water Yield ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Jinghe River Basin ◽

Jinghe River

Based on a Bayesian Network Model (BBN), we established an ecological service network system of the Jinghe River Basin in 2015. Our method consisted of using the distributed eco-hydrological model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model) to simulate water yield, the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model to estimate Net Primary Productivity (NPP), the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model to calculate soil erosion and the Crop Productivity (CP) model to simulate agricultural productivity to quantify the four ecosystem services. Based on the network established, the key variable subset and the visual optimal state subset, which we visualized, were analyzed and used to provide spatial optimization suggestions for the four kinds of ecosystem services studied. Our results indicate that water yield, concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the mountain and river areas, is increasing in the Jinghe River Basin. NPP is continuously increasing and is distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the mountain areas on both sides of the river. Agricultural productivity also shows an upward trend, with areas of high productivity concentrated in the southern downstream mountain areas. On the contrary, the amount of soil erosion is declining, and the high erosion value is also declining, mainly in the upper reaches of the basin (in the Loess Hilly Area). Additionally, we found that a synergistic relationship exists between water yield, NPP and agricultural productivity, which can increase vegetation cover, leading to enhanced agricultural productivity. However, water yield can be reduced as required in order to balance the tradeoff between water yield and soil erosion. Clear regional differences exist in ecosystem services in the river basin. In the future, the two wings of the middle and lower reaches of the river basin will be the main areas of optimization, and it is likely that an optimal ecosystem services pattern can be reached.

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ESTIMASI HASIL AIR DARI DAERAH TANGKAPAN AIR DANAU RAWA PENING DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN MODEL INVEST

MAJALAH ILMIAH GLOBE ◽

10.24895/mig.2017.19-2.578 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 157

Author(s):

Nunung Puji Nugroho

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

High Water ◽

Water Yield ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Yield Model ◽

Catchment Areas ◽

Integrated Valuation ◽

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services

ABSTRAKInformasi hasil air dari suatu ekosistem sangat penting dalam pengelolaan sumber daya air. Dalam perencanaan kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air, informasi sebaran spasial hasil air diperlukan untuk menentukan prioritas wilayah terkait dengan alokasi anggaran. Hasil air dari suatu ekosistem atau daerah aliran sungai (DAS) dapat diestimasi dengan menggunakan model hidrologi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang hasil air, baik besaran maupun sebaran spasialnya, dari daerah tangkapan air (DTA) Danau Rawa Pening. Hasil air dari lokasi penelitian dihitung dengan menggunakan model hasil air pada InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), yang didasarkan pada pendekatan neraca air. Hasil perhitungan menunjukkan bahwa volume hasil air di DTA Danau Rawa Pening pada tahun 2015 adalah sekitar 337 juta m3. SubDAS Galeh, sebagai subDAS terluas, merupakan penghasil air terbesar (72,4 juta m3) diikuti oleh subDAS Sraten (66,8 juta m3) dan Parat (62,4 juta m3). Secara spasial, hasil air di lokasi kajian mempunyai nilai antara 0 hingga 29.634,19 m3/ha. Wilayah hulu dan tengah subDAS Sraten secara umum mempunyai hasil air yang lebih tinggi, sedangkan wilayah danau dan sekitarnya serta hulu subDAS Galeh mempunyai hasil air yang lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan wilayah lainnya. Wilayah dengan hasil air tinggi dapat diprioritaskan dalam kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air untuk mendukung pasokan air ke Danau Rawa Pening.Kata kunci: hasil air, daerah tangkapan air, model InVEST, Danau Rawa PeningABSTRACTAccurate information on water yield from an ecosystem is very important in the management of water resources. In the planning of water resources conservation activities, the information on the spatial distribution of water yield is needed to determine regional priorities related to budget allocations. The water yield from an ecosystem or watershed can be estimated using a hydrological model. This study aimed to obtain information about the water yield, both the magnitude and their spatial distribution, from the catchment areas of Lake Rawa Pening. The water yield from the study area was calculated using the water yield model in InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), which based on the water balance approach. The results indicated that the volume of water yield in Lake Rawa Pening for 2015 is approximately 337 million m3. Galeh subwatershed, as the largest subwatershed, is the largest water producer (72.4 million m3), followed by Sraten subwatershed (66.8 million m3) and Parat subwatershed (62.4 million m3). Spatially, the water yield at the study site has a value between 0 to 29,634.19 m3/ha. Upstream and middle areas of Sraten subwatershed generally have higher water yield, while the lake and its surrounding areas as well as the upstream of Galeh subwatershed have lower water yield compared to other regions. The regions with high water yield can be prioritized in water resource conservation activities to support the supply of water to Lake Rawa Pening.Keywords: water yield, catchment areas, InVEST model, Lake Rawa Pening

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Study on the Comprehensive Improvement of Ecosystem Services in a China’s Bay City for Spatial Optimization

Water ◽

10.3390/w13152072 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2072

Author(s):

Ying Fang ◽

Tianlin Zhai ◽

Xiaodong Zhao ◽

Kun Chen ◽

Baishu Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Food Supply ◽

Spatial Optimization ◽

Coastal Areas ◽

Water Yield ◽

Human Welfare ◽

Yantai City ◽

Synergistic Relationships

Ecosystem services are characterized by region and scale, and contribute to human welfare. Taking Yantai city, a typical bay city in China, as the example, its three representative ecosystem services: food supply (FS), carbon sequestration (CS) and water yield (WY) were chosen as study targets. Based on analyzation of six different aspects of the supply and variation characteristic of demand, this study tried to propose advices for comprehensive improvement of ecosystem services for spatial optimization. The results showed that: (1) ecosystem services supply was strong in central and southern areas of Yantai, while the northern coastal areas were relatively weak; (2) synergistic relationships were found of FS-CS, FS-WY and CS-WY both in 2009 and 2015, with the strongest one for FS-WY. Additionally, in the synergistic relationships, each pair of ecosystem services was dominated by one ecosystem service; (3) most of the three pairs of synergistic relationships had the tendency to strengthen with larger scales; (4) four ecosystem demands changing areas were observed and comprehensive improvement suggestions for them were proposed. This work provides a new attempt to improve ecosystem services based on its supply-demand relationship, which will give a baseline reference for related studies in Yantai city, as well as other similar bay cities.

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Analysing the Impact of Climate Change on Hydrological Ecosystem Services in Laguna del Sauce (Uruguay) Using the SWAT Model and Remote Sensing Data

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13102014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 2014

Author(s):

Celina Aznarez ◽

Patricia Jimeno-Sáez ◽

Adrián López-Ballesteros ◽

Juan Pablo Pacheco ◽

Javier Senent-Aparicio

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Remote Sensing ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

Swat Model ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Erosion Control ◽

Sensing Data ◽

Extreme Precipitation Events ◽

The Impact

Assessing how climate change will affect hydrological ecosystem services (HES) provision is necessary for long-term planning and requires local comprehensive climate information. In this study, we used SWAT to evaluate the impacts on four HES, natural hazard protection, erosion control regulation and water supply and flow regulation for the Laguna del Sauce catchment in Uruguay. We used downscaled CMIP-5 global climate models for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 projections. We calibrated and validated our SWAT model for the periods 2005–2009 and 2010–2013 based on remote sensed ET data. Monthly NSE and R2 values for calibration and validation were 0.74, 0.64 and 0.79, 0.84, respectively. Our results suggest that climate change will likely negatively affect the water resources of the Laguna del Sauce catchment, especially in the RCP 8.5 scenario. In all RCP scenarios, the catchment is likely to experience a wetting trend, higher temperatures, seasonality shifts and an increase in extreme precipitation events, particularly in frequency and magnitude. This will likely affect water quality provision through runoff and sediment yield inputs, reducing the erosion control HES and likely aggravating eutrophication. Although the amount of water will increase, changes to the hydrological cycle might jeopardize the stability of freshwater supplies and HES on which many people in the south-eastern region of Uruguay depend. Despite streamflow monitoring capacities need to be enhanced to reduce the uncertainty of model results, our findings provide valuable insights for water resources planning in the study area. Hence, water management and monitoring capacities need to be enhanced to reduce the potential negative climate change impacts on HES. The methodological approach presented here, based on satellite ET data can be replicated and adapted to any other place in the world since we employed open-access software and remote sensing data for all the phases of hydrological modelling and HES provision assessment.

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The Influence of Land Use Change on Key Ecosystem Services and Their Relationships in a Mountain Region from Past to Future (1995–2050)

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12050616 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 616

Author(s):

Jie Gao ◽

Xuguang Tang ◽

Shiqiu Lin ◽

Hongyan Bian

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Sustainable Land Use ◽

Mountain Region ◽

Water Yield ◽

Mountain Regions ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

The Government ◽

Steep Slopes

The ecosystem services (ESs) provided by mountain regions can bring about benefits to people living in and around the mountains. Ecosystems in mountain areas are fragile and sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance. Understanding the effect of land use change on ESs and their relationships can lead to sustainable land use management in mountain regions with complex topography. Chongqing, as a typical mountain region, was selected as the site of this research. The long-term impacts of land use change on four key ESs (i.e., water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ)) and their relationships were assessed from the past to the future (at five-year intervals, 1995–2050). Three future scenarios were constructed to represent the ecological restoration policy and different socioeconomic developments. From 1995 to 2015, WY and SC experienced overall increases. CS and HQ increased slightly at first and then decreased significantly. A scenario analysis suggested that, if the urban area continues to increase at low altitudes, by 2050, CS and HQ are predicted to decrease moderately. However, great improvements in SC, HQ, and CS are expected to be achieved by the middle of the century if the government continues to make efforts towards vegetation restoration on the steep slopes.

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Spatiotemporal Variation in Ecosystem Services and Their Drivers among Different Landscape Heterogeneity Units and Terrain Gradients in the Southern Hill and Mountain Belt, China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13071375 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1375

Author(s):

Liang-Jie Wang ◽

Shuai Ma ◽

Jiang Jiang ◽

Yu-Guo Zhao ◽

Jin-Chi Zhang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Net Primary Productivity ◽

Landscape Heterogeneity ◽

Driving Factors ◽

Water Yield ◽

Invest Model ◽

Casa Model ◽

Mountain Belt ◽

Integrated Valuation

Understanding the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of ecosystem services (ESs) and their drivers in mountainous areas is important for sustainable ecosystem management. However, the effective construction of landscape heterogeneous units (LHUs) to reflect the spatial characteristics of ESs remains to be studied. The southern hill and mountain belt (SHMB) is a typical mountainous region in China, with undulating terrain and obvious spatial heterogeneity of ESs, and was selected as the study area. In this study, we used the fuzzy k-means (FKM) algorithm to establish LHUs. Three major ESs (water yield, net primary productivity (NPP), and soil conservation) in 2000 and 2015 were quantified using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model and Carnegie Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model. Then, we explored the spatial variation in ESs along terrain gradients and LHUs. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the driving factors of ESs in each terrain region and LHU. The results showed that altitude and terrain niche increased along LHUs. Water yield and soil conservation increased from 696.86 mm and 3920.19 t/km2 to 1061.12 mm and 5117.90 t/km2, respectively, while NPP decreased from 666.95 gC/m2 to 648.86 gC/m2. The ESs in different LHUs differed greatly. ESs increased first and then decreased along LHUs in 2000. In 2015, water yield decreased along LHUs, while NPP and soil conservation showed a fluctuating trend. Water yield was mainly affected by precipitation, temperature and NDVI were the main drivers of NPP, and soil conservation was greatly affected by precipitation and slope. The driving factors of the same ES were different in different terrain areas and LHUs. The variation and driving factors of ESs in LHUs were similar to some terrain gradients. To some extent, LHUs can represent multiple terrain features. This study can provide important support for mountain ecosystem zoning management and decision-making.

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Assessing Matching Characteristics and Spatial Differences between Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in Hangzhou, China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10060582 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 582

Author(s):

Peng Tian ◽

Jialin Li ◽

Luodan Cao ◽

Ruiliang Pu ◽

Hongbo Gong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Area ◽

Food Supply ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Water Yield ◽

Western Region ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Carbon Retention

Ecosystem services (ESs) is a term used to describe the foundations of the well-being of human society, and several relevant studies have been carried out in this area. However, given the fact that the complex trade-offs/synergy relationships of ESs are a challenging area, studies on matching mechanisms for ES supply and demand are still rare. In this study, using the InVEST model, ArcGIS, and other professional tools, we first mapped and quantitatively evaluated the supply and demand of five ES types (water yield, soil conservation, carbon retention, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) in Hangzhou, China, based on land use, meteorology, soil, and socio-economic data. Then, we analyzed the matching characteristics between the supply and demand of these ESs and analyzed the complex trade-offs and synergy between the supply and demand of ESs and factors affecting ESs. The results of this analysis indicate that although the ES supply and demand of carbon retention tended to be out of balance (supply was less than demand), the supply and demand of the other four ES types (i.e., water yield, soil conservation, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) were in balance (supply exceeded demand). Finally, the spatial heterogeneity of the supply and demand of ESs in Hangzhou was significant, especially in urban areas in the northeast and mountainous areas in the southwest. The supply of ESs was based on trade-offs, whereas the demand of ESs was based on synergy. Our results further show that the supply and demand of ESs in the urban area in Hangzhou were out of balance, whereas the supply and demand of ESs in the western region were coordinated. Therefore, the linkage of ES flows between this urban area and the western region should be strengthened. This innovative study could provide useful information for regional land use planning and environmental protection.

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