Development of Strategy for SWAT Hydrologic Modeling in Data-Scarce Regions of Peru
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 7
Abstract
In this study, methods were developed to create and evaluate the performance of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in southern Peru where commonly used input data sources were not available. Soil classes were defined based on regional soil taxonomy and suitability maps combined with soil profiles. Local land cover and remotely sensed satellite data were used to develop a land cover database. Water balance analysis of the reservoir as well as satellite evapotranspiration data were used for model performance assessment. Results showed that these strategies provided reliable predictions of hydrology in this region, with the uncertainty quantified based on the range of inputs. Overall, this semiarid watershed was base flow driven and average annual surface runoff contribution to streamflow was less than 9%. Assessment of water pathways and their uncertainties based on the uncertainty of estimated inputs also showed that 62% of precipitation was removed by evapotranspiration with up to 16% uncertainty. The methods introduced in this study can be applied to other data-scarce watersheds, and findings provide insights on the hydrology of the Peruvian Andes region.
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Data Availability Statement
All input data used in this research are publicly available. All data, models, or code generated during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Soil and land cover data sets developed for this project are available online (Daneshvar et al. 2020a, b).
Acknowledgments
Funds to support research in the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Food, Energy, Water, and the Environment were provided by the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 7 • July 2021
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Received: Jun 21, 2020
Accepted: Jan 12, 2021
Published online: May 11, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 11, 2021
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