Case Studies
Mar 15, 2022

Runoff Prediction under Different Precipitation Scenarios Based on SWAT Model and Stochastic Simulation of Precipitation

Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 5

Abstract

To predict runoff under different annual precipitation and reflect the impact of annual precipitation and its inner-annual distribution on the runoff process, the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model is combined with the stochastic simulation of precipitation based on the torrential rain analysis. Taking the watershed above Wangkuai Reservoir in China as an example, the SWAT model is constructed. and the stochastic simulation models of precipitation under three annual precipitation states are established. Then, based on the torrential rain analysis, five precipitation scenarios with annual precipitation of 300, 600, and 900 mm are assumed, and the daily precipitation process of each scenario is generated as the input of the SWAT model. The results are as follows: the SWAT model has a very good performance for monthly runoff simulation; the maximum monthly runoffs of the five precipitation scenarios are 5.99, 7.09, 9.14, 17.48, and 23.71  m3/s, respectively, and the annual runoffs are 2.24, 3.02, 3.30, 4.75, and 5.08  m3/s, respectively. When the annual precipitation is about 600 mm, the influence of precipitation inner-annual distribution on the monthly runoff process is mainly reflected in July to October. When the annual precipitation is about 900 mm, the influence is mainly reflected in August. This study provides a new idea for runoff prediction and provides reference for the study of the rainfall–runoff uncertainty relationship. Moreover, the improved precipitation stochastic simulation and its combination with the SWAT model can be applied to the study of other basins for further discovery.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code used during the study were provided by a third party (the measured data of runoff and precipitation, topographic, land use/cover, soil, and hydrometeorological data). Direct request for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgments.

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the National Key R & D Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFC3200205), the National Key R & D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC0406501), the Natural Sciences Foundation of Henan Province (Grant No. 212300410404), the Open Grants of the State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (Grant No. 2021LASW-A15), Program for Innovative Talents (in Science and Technology) at University of Henan Province (Grant No. 18HASTIT014), and Foundation for University Youth Key Teacher of Henan Province (Grant No. 2017GGJS006).

References

Abbaspour, K. C., J. Yang, I. Maximov, R. Siber, K. Bogner, J. Mieleitner, J. Zobrist, and R. Srinivasan. 2007. “Modelling hydrology and water quality in the pre-alpine/alpine Thur watershed using SWAT.” J. Hydrol. 333 (2–4): 413–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.09.014.
Ahmad, H. M. N., A. Sinclair, R. Jamieson, A. Madani, D. Hebb, H. Dale, P. Havard, and E. Yiridoe. 2011. “Modeling sediment and nitrogen export from a rural watershed in Eastern Canada using the soil and water assessment tool.” J. Environ. Qual. 40 (4): 1182–1194. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2010.0530.
Arnold, J. G., and N. Fohrer. 2005. “SWAT2000: Current capabilities and research opportunities in applied watershed modelling.” Hydrol. Processes 19 (3): 563–572. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5611.
Baker, T. J., and S. N. Miller. 2013. “Using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) to assess land use impact on water resources in an East African watershed.” J. Hydrol. 486 (Apr): 100–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.01.041.
Chen, J., F. P. Brissette, and R. Leconte. 2010. “A daily stochastic weather generator for preserving low-frequency of climate variability.” J. Hydrol. 388 (3–4): 480–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.05.032.
Cibin, R., K. P. Sudheer, and I. Chaubey. 2010. “Sensitivity and identifiability of stream flow generation parameters of the SWAT model.” Hydrol. Processes 24 (9): 1133–1148. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7568.
CMADS (China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT Model). 2020. “Profound impacts of the China meteorological assimilation dataset for SWAT model (CMADS).” Accessed December 15, 2020. http://www.cmads.org/.
De Vera, A., and R. Terra. 2018. “A stochastic precipitation generator conditioned by a climate index.” J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol. 57 (11): 2585–2603. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-17-0307.1.
Dhami, B., S. K. Himanshu, A. Pandey, and A. K. Gautam. 2018. “Evaluation of the SWAT model for water balance study of a mountainous snowfed river basin of Nepal.” Environ. Earth Sci. 77 (1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-7210-8.
Dong, W., B. S. Cui, Z. H. Liu, and K. J. Zhang. 2014. “Relative effects of human activities and climate change on the river runoff in an arid basin in northwest China.” Hydrol. Processes 28 (18): 4854–4864. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9982.
Fan, J., F. Tian, Y. H. Yang, S. M. Han, and G. Y. Qiu. 2010. “Quantifying the magnitude of the impact of climate change and human activity on runoff decline in Mian River Basin, China.” Water Sci. Technol. 62 (4): 783–791. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2010.294.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2021. “Fao soils portal—Harmonized world soil database v 1.2.” Accessed February 3, 2021. https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-survey/soil-maps-and-databases%20/harmonized-world-soil-database-v12/en/.
Fu, Q., and B. Wang. 2012. “A combination application of Markov chain and gamma distribution function in simulation rainfall.” [In Chinese.] J. Heilongjiang Hydraul. Eng. College 3 (4): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.13524/j.2095-008x.2012.04.005.
Galvan, L., M. Olias, T. Izquierdo, J. C. Ceron, and R. F. de Villaran. 2014. “Rainfall estimation in SWAT: An alternative method to simulate orographic precipitation.” J. Hydrol. 509 (Feb): 257–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.11.044.
Gautam, S., V. Dahal, and R. Bhattarai. 2019. “Impacts of DEM source, resolution and area threshold values on SWAT generated stream network and streamflow in two distinct Nepalese catchments.” Environ. Processes 6 (3): 597–617. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-019-00379-6.
Geospatial Data Cloud. 2020. “Information center, Chinese academy of sciences.” Accessed November 28, 2020. http://www.gscloud.cn.
Guzha, A. C., M. C. Rufino, S. Okoth, S. Jacobs, and R. L. B. Nobrega. 2018. “Impacts of land use and land cover change on surface runoff, discharge and low flows: Evidence from East Africa.” J. Hydrol. Reg. Stud. 15 (Feb): 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2017.11.005.
Heo, J. H., H. Ahn, J. Y. Shin, T. R. Kjeldsen, and C. Jeong. 2019. “Probability distributions for a quantile mapping technique for a bias correction of precipitation data: A case study to precipitation data under climate change.” Water. 11 (7): 1475. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071475.
Huang, Q. H., and W. C. Zhang. 2010. “Application and parameters sensitivity analysis of SWAT model.” Arid Land Geogr. 33 (1): 8–15. https://doi.org/10.13826/j.cnki.cn65-1103/x.2010.01.003.
Khatun, S., M. Sahana, S. K. Jain, and N. Jain. 2018. “Simulation of surface runoff using semi distributed hydrological model for a part of Satluj Basin: Parameterization and global sensitivity analysis using SWAT CUP.” Modell. Earth Syst. Environ. 4 (3): 1111–1124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-018-0474-5.
Krysanova, V., and M. White. 2015. “Advances in water resources assessment with SWAT—An overview.” Hydrol. Sci. J. 60 (5): 771–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2015.1029482.
Kushwaha, A., and M. K. Jain. 2013. “Hydrological simulation in a forest dominated watershed in Himalayan region using SWAT model.” Water Resour. Manage. 27 (8): 3005–3023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-013-0329-9.
Li, J. Z., and P. Feng. 2010. “Effects of precipitation on flood variations in the Daqinghe River basin.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 41 (5): 595–600. https://doi.org/10.13243/j.cnki.slxb.2010.05.002.
Li, J. Z., X. Y. Liu, and F. L. Chen. 2015a. “Evaluation of nonstationarity in annual maximum flood series and the associations with large-scale climate patterns and human activities.” Water Resour. Manage. 29 (5): 1653–1668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0900-z.
Li, Q., J. Zhang, and H. L. Gong. 2015b. “Hydrological simulation and parameter uncertainty analysis using SWAT model based on SUIF-2 algorithm for Guishuihe River Basin.” [In Chinese.] J. China Hydrol. 35 (3): 43–48. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1000-0852.2015.03.008.
Liao, Y. M., D. L. Chen, G. Gao, and Y. Xie. 2009. “Impacts of climate changes on parameters of a weather generator for daily precipitation in China.” [In Chinese.] Acta Geog. Sin. 64 (7): 871–878. https://doi.org/10.3321/j.issn:0375-5444.2009.07.011.
Liao, Y. Y., H. S. Lv, and Z. L. Li. 2014. “Influence of meteorological data uncertainty on runoff simulation by SWAT model.” [In Chinese.] Yangtze River 45 (9): 34–38. https://doi.org/10.16232/j.cnki.1001-4179.2014.09.002.
Liu, Y. H., W. C. Zhang, Y. H. Shao, and K. X. Zhang. 2011. “A comparison of four precipitation distribution models used in daily stochastic models.” Adv. Atmos. Sci. 28 (4): 809–820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9180-6.
Malago, A., F. Bouraoui, O. Vigiak, B. Grizzetti, and M. Pastori. 2017. “Modelling water and nutrient fluxes in the Danube River Basin with SWAT.” Sci. Total Environ. 603 (Dec): 196–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.242.
Me, W., J. M. Abell, and D. P. Hamilton. 2015. “Effects of hydrologic conditions on SWAT model performance and parameter sensitivity for a small, mixed land use catchment in New Zealand.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 19 (10): 4127–4147. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4127-2015.
Meng, X. Y., H. Wang, X. H. Lei, and S. Y. Cai. 2017. “Simulation, validation, and analysis of the Hydrological components of Jing and Bo River Basin based on the SWAT model driven.” [In Chinese.] Acta Ecol. Sin. 37 (21): 7114–7127. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201608231719.
Meng, X. Y., X. S. Zhang, M. X. Yang, H. Wang, J. Chen, Z. H. Pan, and Y. P. Wu. 2019. “Application and evaluation of the China meteorological assimilation driving datasets for the SWAT model (CMADS) in poorly gauged regions in Western China.” Water 11 (10): 2171. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11102171.
Mhanna, M., and W. Bauwens. 2012. “Stochastic single-site generation of daily and monthly rainfall in the Middle East.” Meteorol. Appl. 19 (1): 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1002/met.256.
Moriasi, D. N., J. G. Arnold, M. W. Van Liew, R. L. Bingner, R. D. Harmel, and T. L. Veith. 2007. “Model evaluation guidelines for systematic quantification of accuracy in watershed simulations.” Trans. ASABE 50 (3): 885–900. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.23153.
Muleta, M. K., and J. W. Nicklow. 2005. “Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis coupled with automatic calibration for a distributed watershed model.” J. Hydrol. 306 (1–4): 127–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.09.005.
Mwango, S. B., J. Wickama, B. M. Msanya, D. N. Kimaro, J. D. Mbogoni, and J. L. Meliyo. 2019. “The use of pedo-transfer functions for estimating soil organic carbon contents in maize cropland ecosystem in the Coastal Plains of Tanzania.” Catena 172 (Jan): 163–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.08.031.
National Meteorological Information Center. 2020. “Daily data set of meteorological element stations in China.” Accessed December 20, 2020. https://www.resdc.cn/data.aspx?DATAID=230.
Nie, W. M., Y. P. Yuan, W. Kepner, M. S. Nash, M. Jackson, and C. Erickson. 2011. “Assessing impacts of landuse and landcover changes on hydrology for the upper San Pedro watershed.” J. Hydrol. 407 (1–4): 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.07.012.
Qin, D. Q., C. Y. Deng, H. R. Wang, S. B. Song, and Y. Y. Zhang. 2018. “Coupling daily and monthly time scales in stochastic generation of rainfall series in Baoji, Shaanxi Province.” [In Chinese.] Water Resour. Power 36 (8): 5–8.
RESDC (Resource and Environment Science and Data Center of China). 2021. “Impact of land use/land cover changes on ecosystem services in the Nenjiang River Basin, Northeast China.” Accessed January 12, 2021. http://www.resdc.cn.
Sang, X. F., Z. H. Zhou, D. Y. Qin, and H. B. Wei. 2008. “Application of improved SWAT model to area with strong human activities.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 39 (12): 1377–1389. https://doi.org/10.3321/j.issn:0559-9350.2008.12.015.
Saxton, K. E., and W. J. Rawls. 2006. “Soil water characteristic estimates by texture and organic matter for hydrologic solutions.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 70 (5): 1569–1578. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2005.0117.
Shahraki, N., S. Marofi, and S. Ghazanfari. 2019. “Modeling of daily rainfall extremes, using a semi-parametric Pareto tail approach.” Water Resour. Manage. 33 (2): 493–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-018-2112-4.
Song, Y. Y., J. Zhang, X. Y. Meng, Y. Y. Zhou, Y. Q. Lai, and Y. Cao. 2020. “Comparison study of multiple precipitation forcing data on hydrological modeling and projection in the Qujiang River Basin.” Water. 12 (9): 2626. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092626.
Sun, L. Q., I. Nistor, and O. Seidou. 2015. “Streamflow data assimilation in SWAT model using Extended Kalman Filter.” J. Hydrol. 531 (Dec): 671–684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.10.060.
Tan, M. L., H. P. Ramli, and T. H. Tam. 2018. “Effect of DEM resolution, source, resampling technique and area threshold on SWAT outputs.” Water Resour. Manage. 32 (14): 4591–4606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-018-2072-8.
Wang, B., Q. Fu, Z. B. Wang, and Y. X. Wei. 2011. “Agricultural drought division level based on stochastic rainfall model for dry farming area.” [In Chinese.] China Rural Water Hydropower 2011 (3): 167–170.
Wang, L. N., Q. K. Zhu, W. J. Zhao, and X. K. Zhao. 2015. “The drought trend and its relationship with rainfall intensity in the Loess Plateau of China.” Nat. Hazards 77 (1): 479–495. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1594-0.
Xia, D. F., S. Z. Yi, W. H. Xie, J. F. Ye, and Y. X. Gan. 2020. “Simulation of precipitation in Shiyanghe River Basin based on weather-generator.” [In Chinese.] Water Resour. Power 38 (5): 1–5.
Yesuf, H. M., M. Assen, T. Alamirew, and A. M. Melesse. 2015. “Modeling of sediment yield in Maybar gauged watershed using SWAT, northeast Ethiopia.” Catena 2015 (127): 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2014.12.032.
Yu, Y. H., Y. Y. Zhou, W. H. Xiao, B. Q. Ruan, F. Lu, B. D. Hou, Y. C. Wang, and H. Cui. 2021. “Impacts of climate and vegetation on actual evapotranspiration in typical arid mountainous regions using a Budyko-based framework.” Hydrol. Res. 52 (1): 212–228. https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2020.051.
Zhang, A. J., C. Zhang, G. B. Fu, B. Wang, Z. X. Bao, and H. X. Zheng. 2012. “Assessments of impacts of climate change and human activities on runoff with SWAT for the Huifa River Basin, Northeast China.” Water Resour. Manage. 26 (8): 2199–2217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-012-0010-8.
Zhang, C. H., and B. L. Wang. 2018. “Evaluation of runoff simulation effects of the SWAT model driven by CMADS and traditional meteorological station data—Taking the case study in Kushui River Basin.” [In Chinese.] China Rural Water Hydropower 2018 (6): 52–57. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1007-2284.2018.06.012.
Zhang, L. M., X. Y. Meng, H. Wang, M. X. Yang, and S. Y. Cai. 2020. “Investigate the applicability of CMADS and CFSR reanalysis in Northeast China.” Water 12 (4): 996. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12040996.
Zheng, X. T., W. Q. Cheng, Y. Y. Liu, L. J. Pang, W. H. Guo, and H. D. Ran. 2020a. “Inflow runoff evolution and analysis of their influencing factors under connection of Wangkuai and Xidayang reservoirs.” [In Chinese.] Water Resour. Power 38 (3): 21–24.
Zheng, Y. N., L. Zhang, X. M. Wu, Z. H. Qiu, and A. L. Hu. 2020b. “The response of runoff to land use and coverage change in Fuping watershed based on SWAT model.” J. Agric. Univ. Hebei 43 (2): 116–123. https://doi.org/10.13320/j.cnki.jauh.2020.0039.
Zhou, F., Y. P. Xu, Y. Chen, C. Y. Xu, Y. Q. Gao, and J. K. Du. 2013. “Hydrological response to urbanization at different spatio-temporal scales simulated by coupling of CLUE-S and the SWAT model in the Yangtze River Delta region.” J. Hydrol. 485 (Apr): 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.12.040.
Zuo, D. P., Z. X. Xu, W. Y. Yao, S. Y. Jin, P. Q. Xiao, and D. C. Ran. 2016. “Assessing the effects of changes in land use and climate on runoff and sediment yields from a watershed in the Loess Plateau of China.” Sci. Total Environ. 544 (Feb): 238–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.11.060.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 27Issue 5May 2022

History

Received: Apr 21, 2021
Accepted: Feb 8, 2022
Published online: Mar 15, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 15, 2022

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Jinping Zhang [email protected]
Professor, School of Water Conservancy Engineering, Zhengzhou Univ., Zhengzhou 450001, China. Email: [email protected]
Master’s Student, School of Water Conservancy Engineering, Zhengzhou Univ., Zhengzhou 450001, China (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

  • Coupled Data Analytics–SWAT Approach for Flow Generation and Analysis in Ungauged Tropical Watershed, Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 10.1061/JHYEFF.HEENG-5964, 29, 4, (2024).

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share