| Title: | Evaluating three hydrological distributed watershed models: MIKE-SHE, APEX, SWAT |
| Authors: | Golmohammadi, G., S. Prasher, A. Madani and R. Rudra |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Journal: | Hydrology |
| Volume (Issue): | 1(1) |
| Pages: | 20-39 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.3390/hydrology1010020 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | APEX & SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
| Primary Application Category: | model and/or data comparison |
| Secondary Application Category: | calibration, sensitivity, and/or uncertainty analysis |
| Watershed Description: | 52.6 km^2 Canagagigue River, a tributary of the Grand River, in southern Ontario, Canada |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Selecting the right model to simulate a specific watershed has always been a
challenge, and field testing of watersheds could help researchers to use the proper model
for their purposes. The performance of three popular Geographic Information System
(GIS)-based watershed simulation models (European Hydrological System Model
(MIKE SHE), Agricultural Policy/Environmental Extender (APEX) and Soil and Water
Assessment Tool (SWAT)) were evaluated for their ability to simulate the hydrology of the
52.6 km2 Canagagigue Watershed located in the Grand River Basin in southern Ontario,
Canada. All three models were calibrated for a four-year period and then validated using an
independent four-year period by comparing simulated and observed daily, monthly and
annual streamflow. The simulated flows generated by the three models are quite similar
and closely match the observed flow, particularly for the calibration results. The mean
daily/monthly flow at the outlet of the Canagagigue Watershed simulated by MIKE SHE
was more accurate than that simulated by either the SWAT or the APEX model, during both
the calibration and validation periods. Moreover, for the validation period, MIKE SHE
predicted the overall variation of streamflow slightly better than either SWAT or APEX. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | hydrology; MIKE SHE; APEX; SWAT; Canagagigue |