Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil
ABSTRACT Hydrological modeling in decision-making is particularly challenging in tropical countries such as Brazil. There are numerous modeling tools; however, many applications have focused on watersheds with a total area of <20,000km2. Here we tailored a customized SWAT (Soil and Water Assessme...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Associação Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2318-03312023000100239&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797386317912342528 |
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| author | Ana Luisa Sales Pereira Almeida Diego Rodrigues Macedo Hersilia de Andrade e Santos Sónia Maria Carvalho Ribeiro Robert Mason Hughes |
| author_facet | Ana Luisa Sales Pereira Almeida Diego Rodrigues Macedo Hersilia de Andrade e Santos Sónia Maria Carvalho Ribeiro Robert Mason Hughes |
| author_sort | Ana Luisa Sales Pereira Almeida |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Hydrological modeling in decision-making is particularly challenging in tropical countries such as Brazil. There are numerous modeling tools; however, many applications have focused on watersheds with a total area of <20,000km2. Here we tailored a customized SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) ecohydrological model application using the SWAT CUP tool for calibration and validation of the Rio das Velhas, a relatively large, complex Brazilian basin (~28,000km2). The Rio das Velhas is the longest tributary of the São Francisco River and contains heterogeneous landforms, soils, vegetation, and land uses. A multisite calibration method obtained specific regionalized parameters for each sub-basin group for successfully simulating Rio das Velhas streamflows. Our results showed a suitable adjustment of the model. Nash-Sutcliff (NS) model performance values were 0.73-0.97 (calibration) and 0.51-0.98 (validation). The percent bias (PBIAS) was -11.3 to 19.4 (calibration) and -18.6 to 24.6 (validation), and the coefficient of determination values (R2) were >0.6 in all sub-basins on a monthly basis. We also explored how four contrasting land use scenarios affected four water-flow variables (surface runoff, base flow, percolation, and total streamflow). Our results show that by using multiple flow-monitoring stations and multisite calibration approaches, ecohydrological models can be useful for managing basin-extent water resources in countries of continental dimensions such as Brazil. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:08:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4603a18bbf324936a2a1d7d404c081e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2318-0331 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:08:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Associação Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos |
| spelling | doaj.art-4603a18bbf324936a2a1d7d404c081e82023-12-19T07:51:30ZengAssociação Brasileira de Recursos HídricosRevista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos2318-03312023-12-012810.1590/2318-0331.282320230034Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, BrazilAna Luisa Sales Pereira Almeidahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9143-5509Diego Rodrigues Macedohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1178-4969Hersilia de Andrade e Santoshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1268-2753Sónia Maria Carvalho Ribeirohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3045-8632Robert Mason Hugheshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1308-666XABSTRACT Hydrological modeling in decision-making is particularly challenging in tropical countries such as Brazil. There are numerous modeling tools; however, many applications have focused on watersheds with a total area of <20,000km2. Here we tailored a customized SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) ecohydrological model application using the SWAT CUP tool for calibration and validation of the Rio das Velhas, a relatively large, complex Brazilian basin (~28,000km2). The Rio das Velhas is the longest tributary of the São Francisco River and contains heterogeneous landforms, soils, vegetation, and land uses. A multisite calibration method obtained specific regionalized parameters for each sub-basin group for successfully simulating Rio das Velhas streamflows. Our results showed a suitable adjustment of the model. Nash-Sutcliff (NS) model performance values were 0.73-0.97 (calibration) and 0.51-0.98 (validation). The percent bias (PBIAS) was -11.3 to 19.4 (calibration) and -18.6 to 24.6 (validation), and the coefficient of determination values (R2) were >0.6 in all sub-basins on a monthly basis. We also explored how four contrasting land use scenarios affected four water-flow variables (surface runoff, base flow, percolation, and total streamflow). Our results show that by using multiple flow-monitoring stations and multisite calibration approaches, ecohydrological models can be useful for managing basin-extent water resources in countries of continental dimensions such as Brazil.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2318-03312023000100239&lng=en&tlng=enWater resources managementWater governanceGIS spatial toolsRio das Velhas |
| spellingShingle | Ana Luisa Sales Pereira Almeida Diego Rodrigues Macedo Hersilia de Andrade e Santos Sónia Maria Carvalho Ribeiro Robert Mason Hughes Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos Water resources management Water governance GIS spatial tools Rio das Velhas |
| title | Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil |
| title_full | Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil |
| title_short | Managing water resources in complex tropical basins: tailored SWAT ecohydrological modeling to the Rio das Velhas, Brazil |
| title_sort | managing water resources in complex tropical basins tailored swat ecohydrological modeling to the rio das velhas brazil |
| topic | Water resources management Water governance GIS spatial tools Rio das Velhas |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2318-03312023000100239&lng=en&tlng=en |
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