Abstract
The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is often used to evaluate the impacts of different land use scenarios on streamflow and sediment yield, but there is a need for some clear recommendations on how to select the parameter set that defines a given land use scenario and on what is the most appropriate methodology to change the selected parameters when describing possible future conditions. This paper reviews the SWAT formulation to identify the parameters that depend on the land use, performs a sensitivity analysis to determine the ones with larger impacts on the model results and discusses ways to consider future land use conditions. The case study is the Atibaia river basin, with 2838 km2 (São Paulo, Brazil). The parameters identified by sensitivity analysis with the largest impacts on streamflow and sediment yield were the initial curve number for moisture condition II (CN), maximum canopy storage for each land use (CANMX) and the cover and management factor (USLE_C). The identification and appropriate parameter change can provide real estimates of the magnitudes in the land use changes, which were verified in this study. Such information can be used as an instrument for proposing improvements in the basin’s environmental quality and management.
Highlights
Understanding the implications of land use change is critical to the river basin planning and remediation efforts that are occurring all over the globe
By offering the possibility to assess the behavior of a watershed under different scenarios, hydrological models may be used to predict the consequences of land use changes on the simulated hydrological processes [5]
The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) [6,7] is the focus of the paper, given its popularity for land use impacts assessment and because its formulation is based on physical parameters, most of which can in theory be measured in the field, facilitating the description of different land use situations
Summary
Understanding the implications of land use change is critical to the river basin planning and remediation efforts that are occurring all over the globe. The impacts of land use modification on river hydrological behavior need to be evaluated when reviewing current and future water availability, assessing river basin degradation processes or identifying the most appropriate measures to control the impacts caused by the disorderly land use change [1,2,3]. By offering the possibility to assess the behavior of a watershed under different scenarios, hydrological models may be used to predict the consequences of land use changes on the simulated hydrological processes [5]. Other popular hydrology models that may be used to assess land use
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
