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Special Issue "SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective"

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2023 | Viewed by 10290

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Manoj K. Jha

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, North Carolina A&T State, University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Interests: water cycle; field and watershed modeling; water resource engineering and management; climate change and land-use change impacts on hydrology and water resources; evaluation of BMPs for sediment and nutrients; extreme hydrological events (floods and droughts); uncertainties in modeling and assessment
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Dr. Philip W. Gassman

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Guest Editor

Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Interests: SWAT ecohydrological modeling; impacts of BMPs; cropping systems; land use and climate on hydrology and water quality; tile drain effects on flow and pollutant transport; integrated modeling systems

Prof. Dr. Raghavan Srinivasan

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Guest Editor

Spatial Science Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: computational modeling of hydrology; water quality and spatial sciences problems; development and worldwide application of the SWAT model
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Dr. Ryan Bailey

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Interests: groundwater hydrology; coupled surface/subsurface hydrologic modeling; contaminant transport in watershed systems; SWAT; SWAT+; SWAT-MODFLOW
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model is an eco-hydrological modeling simulation tool that has been applied in various hydrologic and environmental conditions across the globe. The SWAT model is a physically based, semi-distributed, and continuous-time hydrological model. The model was developed to assess and predict the long-term multiscale impacts of land use/cover changes, land management practices, climate variability and change on watershed hydrology, soil dynamics, and fate and transport of non-point source pollutants at the watershed or river basin-scales. Major improvements have been incorporated into the current SWAT+ codes, including more detailed spatial representation, routing of flow and pollutants between HRUs and/or landscape units, and greatly simplified input file structure.

This Special Issue aims to attract high-quality research and review papers related to new and innovative approaches in the development and application of SWAT and SWAT+ models. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following: new enhancements and tools for SWAT+; SWAT+ linkages with other models; large-scale applications; groundwater and surface water interactions; carbon and nitrogen cycles; GHG emissions, fate, and transport of pollutants; wetland, potholes, and tile drains; improved accounting of LAI depiction and plant growth; urban landscapes; and others.

Prof. Dr. Manoj K. Jha
Dr. Philip W. Gassman
Prof. Dr. Raghavan Srinivasan
Prof. Dr. Ryan Bailey
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

SWAT
SWAT+
watershed modeling
new approaches in SWAT
tools for SWAT
modeling advances
linkages with other models/tools

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Assessing the Influence of a Bias Correction Method on Future Climate Scenarios Using SWAT as an Impact Model Indicator

Tássia Mattos Brighenti

Philip W. Gassman

William J. Gutowski, Jr.

and

Janette R. Thompson

Water 2023, 15(4), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040750 - 14 Feb 2023

Viewed by 661

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate the implications of a bias correction method on a combination of Global/Regional Climate Models (GCM and RCM) for simulating precipitation and, subsequently, streamflow, surface runoff, and water yield in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The study area is the Des Moines River Basin, U.S.A. The climate projections are two RCMs driven by two GCMs for historical simulations (1981–2005) and future projections (2030–2050). Bias correction improves historical precipitation for annual volumes, seasonality, spatial distribution, and mean error. Simulated monthly historical streamflow was compared across 26 monitoring stations with mostly satisfactory results for percent bias (Pbias). There were no changes in annual trends for future scenarios except for raw WRF models. Seasonal variability remained the same; however, most models predicted an increase in monthly precipitation from January to March and a reduction for June and July. Meanwhile, the bias-corrected models showed changes in prediction signals. In some cases, raw models projected an increase in surface runoff and water yield, but the bias-corrected models projected a reduction in these variables. This suggests the bias correction may be larger than the climate-change signal and indicates the procedure is not a small correction but a major factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effects of Dynamic Land Use/Land Cover Change on Flow and Sediment Yield in a Monsoon-Dominated Tropical Watershed

and

Water 2022, 14(22), 3666; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223666 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1358

Abstract

It is widely known that land use/land cover (LULC) changes significantly alter watershed hydrology and sediment yields. The impact, especially on erosion and sedimentation, is likely to be exacerbated in regions dominated by high rainfall patterns such as monsoons. This study analyzed the hydrological responses of LULC changes in terms of streamflow (SF) and sediment yield (SY) in a monsoon-dominated tropical watershed, the Periyar River Watershed (PRW) in Kerala, India. This watershed drains an area of 4793 km² characterized by an average monsoon rainfall of 2900 mm from June to November. The watershed hydrology and sediment dynamics were simulated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model for the impact assessment at the watershed outlet and the sub-watershed level. Historical LULC data were analyzed for 1988, 1992, 2002, and 2016 using the maximum likelihood method, and future LULC changes were projected for 2030, 2050, 2075, and 2100 using the Markov chain–cellular automata technique. Between 1988 and 2016, the urban area increased by 4.13 percent, while plantation and forest coverage decreased by 1.5 percent. At this rate, by 2100, the urban area is expected to grow by 16.45% while plantations and forest area will shrink by 13.7% compared to 1988. The effects of these changes on SF and SY were found to be minimal at the watershed outlet; however, at the spatial scale of sub-watersheds, the changes varied up to 70% for surface runoff and 200% for SY. These findings highlight the potential impacts of LULC changes in a monsoon-dominated watershed and may contribute to the development of successful LULC-based watershed management strategies for prevention of flooding and sediment loss. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Hydrological Impact Assessment of Future Climate Change on a Complex River Basin of Western Ghats, India

and

Water 2022, 14(21), 3571; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213571 - 06 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1642

Abstract

Climate change (CC) affects millions of people directly or indirectly. Especially, the effect of CC on the hydrological regime is extensive. Hence, understanding its impact is highly essential. In this study, the Bharathapuzha river basin (BRB) lying in the Western Ghats region of southern India is considered for CC impact assessment, as it is a highly complex and challenging watershed, due to its varying topographical features, such as soil texture, land use/land cover types, slope, and climatology, including rainfall and temperature patterns. To understand the CC impact on the hydrological variables at BRB in the future, five downscaled global circulation models (GCMs) were used, namely BNU-ESM, Can-ESM, CNRM, MPI-ESM MR, and MPI-ESM LR. These GCMs were obtained for two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios: 4.5 representing normal condition and 8.5 representing the worst condition of projected carbon and greenhouse gases concentration on the lower atmosphere. To obtain the continuous simulation of hydrological variables, the SWAT hydrological model was adopted in this study. Results showed that rainfall pattern, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture will increase at moderate to significant levels in the future. This is especially seen during the far future period (i.e., 2071 to 2100). Similar results were obtained for surface runoff. For instance, surface runoff will increase up to 19.2% (RCP 4.5) and 36% (RCP 8.5) during 2100, as compared to the average historical condition (1981–2010). The results from this study will be useful for various water resources management and adaptation measures in the future, and the methodology can be adopted for similar regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Spatial Interpolation Methods on Daily Streamflow Predictions with SWAT

Micah Lourdes Felix

and

Kwansue Jung

Water 2022, 14(20), 3340; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14203340 - 21 Oct 2022

Viewed by 934

Abstract

Precipitation is a significant input variable required in hydrological models such as the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The utilization of inaccurate precipitation data can result in the poor representation of the true hydrologic conditions of a catchment. SWAT utilizes the conventional nearest neighbor method in assigning weather parameters for each subbasin; a method inaccurate in representing spatial variations in precipitation over a large area, with sparse network of gauging stations. Therefore, this study aims to improve the spatial variation in precipitation data to improve daily streamflow simulation with SWAT, even pre-model calibration. The daily streamflow based on four interpolation methods, nearest neighbor (default), inverse-distance-weight, radial-basis function, and ordinary kriging, were evaluated to determine which interpolation method is best represents the precipitation at Yongdam watershed. Based on the results of this study, the application of spatial interpolation methods generally improved the performance of SWAT to simulate daily streamflow even pre-model calibration. In addition, no universal method can accurately represent the long-term spatial variation of precipitation at the Yongdam watershed. Instead, it was observed that the optimal selection of interpolation method at the Yongdam watershed is dependent on the long-term climatological conditions of the watershed. It was also observed that each interpolation method was optimal based on certain meteorological conditions at Yongdam watershed: nearest neighbor for cases when the occurrence probability of extreme precipitation is high during wet to moderately wet conditions; radial-basis function for cases when the number of dry days were high, during wet, severely dry, and extremely dry conditions; and ordinary kriging or inverse-weight-distance method for dry to moderately dry conditions. The methodology applied in this study improved the daily streamflow simulations at Yongdam watershed, even pre-model calibration of SWAT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Coupled SWAT-AEM Modelling Framework for a Comprehensive Hydrologic Assessment

K. Sangeetha

Balaji Narasimhan

and

R. Srinivasan

Water 2022, 14(17), 2753; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172753 - 04 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1549

Abstract

This study attempts to integrate a Surface Water (SW) model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with an existing steady-state, single layer, unconfined heterogeneous aquifer Analytic Element Method (AEM) based Ground Water (GW) model, named Bluebird AEM engine, for a comprehensive assessment of SW and GW resources and its management. The main reason for integrating SWAT with the GW model is that the SWAT model does not simulate the distribution and dynamics of GW levels and recharge rates. To overcome this issue, often the SWAT model is coupled with the numerical GW model (either using MODFLOW or FEFLOW), wherein the spatial and temporal patterns of the interactions are better captured and assessed. However, the major drawback in integrating the two models (SWAT with—MODFLOW/FEM) is its conversion from Hydrological Response Unit’s (HRU)/sub-basins to grid/elements. To couple them, a spatial translation system is necessary to move the inputs and outputs back and forth between the two models due to the difference in discretization. Hence, for effective coupling of SW and GW models, it may be desirable to have both models with a similar spatial discretization and reduce the need for rigorous numerical techniques for solving the PDEs. The objective of this paper is to test the proof of concept of integrating a distributed hydrologic model with an AEM model at the same spatial units, primarily focused on surface water and groundwater interaction with a shallow unconfined aquifer. Analytic Element Method (AEM) based GW models seem to be ideal for coupling with SWAT due to their innate character to consider the HRU, sub-basin, River, and lake boundaries as individual analytic elements directly without the need for any further discretization or modeling units. This study explores the spatio-temporal patterns of groundwater (GW) discharge rates to a river system in a moist-sub humid region with SWAT-AEM applied to the San Jacinto River basin (SJRB) in Texas. The SW-GW interactions are explored throughout the watershed from 2000–2017 using the integrated SWAT-AEM model, which is tested against stream flow and GW levels. The integrated SWAT-AEM model results show good improvement in predicting the stream flow (R² = 0.65–0.80) and GW levels as compared to the standalone SWAT model. Further, the integrated model predicted the low flows better compared to the standalone SWAT model, thus accounting for the SW-GW interactions. Almost 80% of the stream network experiences an increase in groundwater discharge rate between 2000 and 2017 with an annual average GW discharge rate of 1853 Mm³/year. The result from the study seems promising for potential applications of SWAT-AEM coupling in regions with considerable SW-GW interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessArticle

Agricultural Irrigation Effects on Hydrological Processes in the United States Northern High Plains Aquifer Simulated by the Coupled SWAT-MODFLOW System

Sijal Dangol

Xuesong Zhang

Xin-Zhong Liang

and

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm

Water 2022, 14(12), 1938; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14121938 - 16 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1256

Abstract

Groundwater use for irrigation has a major influence on agricultural productivity and local water resources. This study evaluated the groundwater irrigation schemes, SWAT auto-irrigation scheduling based on plant water stress (Auto-Irr), and prescribed irrigation based on well pumping rates in MODFLOW (Well-Irr), in the U.S. Northern High Plains (NHP) aquifer using coupled SWAT-MODFLOW model simulations for the period 1982–2008. Auto-Irr generally performed better than Well-Irr in simulating groundwater irrigation volume (reducing the mean bias from 86 to −30%) and groundwater level (reducing the normalized root-mean-square-error from 13.55 to 12.47%) across the NHP, as well as streamflow interannual variations at two stations (increasing NSE from 0.51, 0.51 to 0.55, 0.53). We also examined the effects of groundwater irrigation on the water cycle. Based on simulation results from Auto-Irr, historical irrigation led to significant recharge along the Elkhorn and Platte rivers. On average over the entire NHP, irrigation increased surface runoff, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and groundwater recharge by 21.3%, 4.0%, 2.5% and 1.5%, respectively. Irrigation improved crop water productivity by nearly 27.2% for corn and 23.8% for soybean. Therefore, designing sustainable irrigation practices to enhance crop productivity must consider both regional landscape characteristics and downstream hydrological consequences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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Open AccessArticle

Simulation of Pesticide and Metabolite Concentrations Using SWAT+ Landscape Routing and Conditional Management Applications

and

Water 2022, 14(9), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14091332 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1226

Abstract

The estimation of pesticide concentrations in surface water bodies with models is a critical component of the environmental and human health risk assessment process. The most recent version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) provides new features that are useful for pesticide exposure assessments. This research is the first SWAT+ pesticide simulation study and was conducted to evaluate SWAT+’s new features and to assess its ability to predict pesticide and metabolite concentrations. The evaluation was conducted based upon a comparison of the results from seven different model configurations with high-resolution monitoring data. The results showed that (1) SWAT+ is able to simulate the formation of degradation compounds and predict resulting concentrations in surface water, (2) an accurate representation of transport processes for pesticide exposure assessments is important, and (3) an appropriate degree of realism can be achieved with a rule-based probabilistic pesticide application schedule if information about the annual percent crop treated, a typical application rate, and a typical application window is available. The accuracy of the pesticide concentration simulations with the new features of SWAT+ in the present study demonstrates the model’s ability to provide more accurate estimates with reduced uncertainty compared to SWAT simulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue SWAT Modeling - New Approaches and Perspective)

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