Abstract
This study presents a methodology for the regional parameters estimation of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model, with the objective of estimating daily flow series in the Pacific drainage under the context of limited hydrological data availability. This methodology has been designed to obtain the model parameters from a limited number of basins (14) to finally regionalize them to basins without hydrological data based on physical-climatic characteristics. In addition, the bootstrapping method was selected to estimate the uncertainty associated with the parameters set selection in the regionalization process. In general, the regionalized parameters reduce the initial underestimation which is reflected in a better quantification of daily flows, and improve the low flows performance. Furthermore, the results show that the SWAT model correctly represents the water balance and seasonality of the hydrological cycle main components. However, the model does not correctly quantify the high flows rates during wet periods. These findings provide supporting information for studies of water balance and water management on the Peruvian Pacific drainage. The approach and methods developed can be replicated in any other region of Peru.
Highlights
The basins that drain into the Pacific Ocean of Peru are characterized by small basins with bare and steep slopes that favor erosion and flooding during intense rainfall events
It subdivides a basin into subbasins, which are connected by a flow network
The hydrological simulation is based on the water balance equation and is divided into two main components: the terrestrial phase, which simulates the amount of water, sediments, nutrients and pesticide loads in the main channel of each subbasin, and the routing phase, which simulates the movement of water, sediments and nutrients through the channel network of the basin to the outlet [54]
Summary
The basins that drain into the Pacific Ocean of Peru are characterized by small basins with bare and steep slopes that favor erosion and flooding during intense rainfall events. The Pacific drainage represents 22% of the Peruvian territory [2], where more than 50%. Of the Peruvian population is established and has 2% of all the fresh water available in Peru [3], generating frequent conflicts between multiple water users regarding its allocation and accessibility. 73% of the population lives in urban environments, and it is expected that it (as well as their living standards) will increase by 2050 to approximately 40 million [4]. Domestic and agricultural water use is likely to increase rapidly, even more so in a country where much of the current agricultural production depends on irrigation and consumes approximately 85% of surface water [5]. Despite the importance of knowing water availability in Peru, previous studies [6,7,8] have shown evidence of the limited hydrological data availability in the Pacific drainage (Pd)
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