Hydrological stream flow modeling in the Talar catchment (central section of the Alborz Mountains, north of Iran): Parameterization and uncertainty analysis using SWAT-CUP

Abstract

AbstractThere are several methods and techniques for measuring the parameters and forecasting the errors in the hydrological models. In this study, semi distributed Soil and Water Asseeement Tool (SWAT) model and SWAT-CUP (CUP – Calibration and Uncertainty Programs) have been applied using SUFI2 program. After collection of data, the whole Talar watershed located in the central section of the Alborz Mountains, north of Iran was separated into 219 hydrological response units (HRU) in 23 sub-watersheds.In order to improve the simulation parameters and obtain better correlation of observed and simulated values, the sensitive parameters were validated to obtain finally the acceptable value of both R 2 and Nash–Sutcliffe (NS) coefficients equal to 0.93. Final P-value and t-state were also estimated for sensitive parameters. As a result, the CN2 parameter, which was critical in the initial stage of this research was replaced by the SOL-K parameter (electrical conductivity saturated soil layers) as a critical parameter in the later stage. Results of this study show that the SWAT model can be an effective and useful tool for the assessment and optimal management of water and soil resources.