Simulation of Runoff Using SWAT Model at Annual Scale (Case Study: Neyshabour Watershed)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assist. Prof., Dept. of Soil and Water Engineering, Faculty of Agric., Shahrood University of Technology, Iran

2 Prof., Dept. of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agric., Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

3 Assist. Prof., Dept. of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agric., Guilan University, Iran

Abstract

Runoff is a main component of water balance in the watershed scale which its accurate estimation helps to better hydrological simulation of watershed. In this study, the SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) model was used to simulate runoff in Neyshabour watershed with area of 9500 km2 for the 2007 to 2010 period. To this means, SWAT model was calibrated based on measured runoff data at three hydrometric stations (Andarab, Kharve Majmoo and Hossein Abad) during 2000-2007. Calibration, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis were done using SUFI-2 algorithm. According to the results, parameters such as fraction of transmission losses, moisture condition curve number and factors related to snowmelt showed the greatest sensitivity to run off estimation. The model calibration in all three stations; Andarab, Kharve Majmoo and Hossein Abad, was evaluated as appropriate by referring the values of 0.84, 0.77 and 0.92 for the Nash-Sutcliff efficiency coefficient, respectively, although underestimations for the peak amounts of hydrographs were observed relatively. The values of the mentioned coefficient were obtained as 0.92, 0.66 and 0.71 for the validation period at the stations of Andarab, Kharve Majmoo and Hossein Abad, respectively. Also root mean square error values varied between 0.46 to 0.57 m3/s and 0.06 to 0.19 m3/s in the same three hydrometric stations for the calibration and validation periods, respectively. The results showed that considering the crop management concepts significantly improved runoff estimation.

References

Abbaspour KC, Rouholahnejad E, Vaghefi S, Srinivasan R, Yang H and Klove B, 2015. A continental-scale hydrology and water quality model for Europe: Calibration and uncertainty of a high-resolution large-scale SWAT model. Journal of Hydrology 524: 733–752.
Abbaspour KC, Yang J, Maximov I, Siber R, Bogner K, Mieleitner J, Zobrist j and Srinivasan R, 2007. Modelling hydrology and water quality in the pre-alpine/alpine Thur watershed using SWAT. Journal of Hydrology 333: 413-430.
Akhavan S, Abedi-Koupai J, Mousavi SF, Afyuni M, Eslamian SS and Abbaspour KC, 2010. Application of SWAT model to investigate nitrate leaching in Hamadan-Bahar watershed, Iran. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 139: 675-688.
Alizadeh A, Izady A, Davary K, Ziaei AN, Akhavan S and Hamidi Z, 2013. Estimation of actual evapotranspiration at regional-annual scale using SWAT. Iranian Journal of Irrigation and Drainage 2(7): 243-258.
Arnold JG, Moriasi DN, Gassman PW, Abbaspour KC, White MJ, Srinivasan R, Santhi C, Harmel RD, van Griensven A, Van Liew MW, Kannan N and Jha MK, 2012. SWAT: Model use, calibration, and validation. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 55(4): 1491-1508.
Arnold JG, Srinivasan R, Muttiah RS and Williams JR, 1998. Large area hydrologic modeling and assessment part I: model development. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 34: 73-89.
Daggupati P, Yen H, White MJ, Srinivasan R, Arnold JG, Keitzer CS and Sowa SP, 2015. Impact of model development, calibration and validation decisions on hydrological simulations in West Lake Erie Basin. Hydrological processes 29(26): 5307-5320
Ficklin DL, Luo Y, Luedeling E and Zhang M, 2009. Climate change sensitivity assessment of a highly agricultural watershed using SWAT. Journal of Hydrology 374: 16-29.
Fontaine TA, Cruickshank TS, Arnold JG and Hotchkiss RH, 2002. Development of a snowfall-snowmelt routine for mountainous terrain for the soil water assessment tool (SWAT). Journal of Hydrology 262: 209-223.
Green CH and Griensven AV, 2008. Autocalibration in hydrologic modelling: Using SWAT2005 in small-scale watersheds. Environmental modelling and software 23: 422-434.
Gyamfi C, Ndambuki JM and Salim RW, 2016. Application of SWAT model to the Olifants basin: calibration, validation and uncertainty analysis. Journal of Water Resource and Protection 8: 397-410.
Hamzeabad AJ, Khadkhodahosseini M, Akhavan S and Nozari H, 2016. Evaluation of SWAT and SVM models to simulate the runoff of Lighvanchay river. Water and Soil Science 26(4.1): 137-150.
Khakbaz B, Bisher I, Kuolin H and Sorooshian S, 2012. From lumped to distributed via semi-distributed: Calibration strategies for semi-distributed hydrologic models. Journal of Hydrology 418-419: 61-77.
Li Z, Shao Q, Xu Z and Cai X, 2010. Analysis of parameter uncertainty in semi-distributed hydrological models using bootstrap method: A case study of SWAT model applied to Yingluoxia watershed in northwest China. Journal of Hydrology 385: 76-83.
Moazenzadeh R, Arshad S, Ghahraman B and Davari K, 2012. Drought monitoring in unirrigated lands based on the remote sensing technique. Water and Irrigation Management 2(2): 39-52.
Moriasi DN, Arnold JG, Van Liew MW, Binger RL, Harmel RD and Veith T, 2007. Model evaluation guidelines for systematic quantification of accuracy in watershed simulations. Transactions of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 50(3): 885-900.
Musau J, Sang J, Gathenya J, Luedeling E and Home P, 2014. SWAT model parameter calibration and uncertainty analysis using the HydroPSO R package in Nzoia basin, Kenya. Journal of Sustainable Research in Engineering 1(3): 17-29.
Neitsch SL, Arnold JG, Kiniry JR and Williams JR, 2011. Soil and Water Assessment Tool, Theoretical Documentation, version 2009. Texas Water Resources Institute Technical Report No. 406.
Oeurng C, Sauvage S and Sanchez-Perez JM, 2011. Assessment of hydrology, sediment and particulate organic carbon yield in a large agricultural catchment using the SWAT model. Journal of Hydrology 401: 145-153.
Raoof M, Azizi Mobaser J and Salahshoor A, 2016. Estimating hydrological and hydrogeological parameters of watershed using SWAT model (case study: Balukhlu-chay basin). Water and Soil Science 26(4.2): 173-185.
Shafiei M, Ansari H, Davari K and Ghahraman B, 2013. Calibration and uncertainty analysis of a semi-distributed model in a semi-arid region, case study: Nishabour watershed. Journal of Science and Technology of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Water and Soil Science 17(64): 137-148.
Shawul AA, Alamirew T and Dinka MO, 2013. Calibration and validation of SWAT model and estimation of water balance components of Shaya mountainous watershed, Southeastern Ethiopia. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 10: 13955- 13978.
Sophocleous MA, 2005. Groundwater recharge and sustainability in the high plains aquifer in Kansas, USA. Hydrogeology Journal 13(2): 351-365.
Sun W, Wang Y, Cui X, Yu J, Zuo D and Xu Z, 2016. Physically-based distributed hydrological model calibration based on a short period of streamflow data: case studies in two Chinese basins. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 192: 1-20.
Vilaysane B, Takara K, Luo P, Akkharath I and Duan W, 2015. Hydrological stream flow modelling for calibration and uncertainty analysis using SWAT model in the Xedone river basin, Lao PDR. Procedia Environmental Sciences 28: 380-390.
Wang X, Liang Z and Wang J, 2014. Simulation of runoff in Karst-influenced lianjiang watershed using the SWAT model. Scientific Journal of Earth Science 4(2): 85-92.
Wu K and Johnston CA, 2007. Hydrologic response to climatic variability in a Great Lakes watershed: A case study with the SWAT model. Journal of Hydrology 337: 187-199.
Yesuf HM, Assen M, Alamirew T and Melesse AM, 2015. Modeling of sediment yield in Maybar gauged watershed using SWAT, northeast Ethiopia. Catena 127: 191-205.
Yin I, Hu G, Huang J, Wen D, Dong J, Wang X and Li H, 2011. Groundwater-recharge estimation in the Ordos Plateau, China: Comparison of methods. Hydrogeology Journal 19: 1563-1575.
Water and Soil Science
Volume 29, Issue 4
February 2020
Pages 57-70

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics