SWAT Literature Database for Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Title:Multi-objective validation of SWAT for sparsely-gauged West African river basins - A remote sensing approach 
Authors:Poméon, T., B. Diekkrüger, A. Springer, J. Kusche and A. Eicker 
Year:2018 
Journal:Water 
Volume (Issue):10(4) 
Pages: 
Article ID:451 
DOI:10.3390/w10040451 
URL (non-DOI journals): 
Model:SWAT 
Broad Application Category:hydrologic only 
Primary Application Category:calibration, sensitivity, and/or uncertainty analysis 
Secondary Application Category:evapotranspiration assessment 
Watershed Description:11 River systems that cover areas ranging from 1,753 km^2 to 2,246,220 km^2, which drain a total of 3,437,856 km^2 across 18 countries in northwest Africa. 
Calibration Summary: 
Validation Summary: 
General Comments: 
Abstract:Predicting freshwater resources is a major concern in West Africa, where large parts of the population depend on rain-fed subsistence agriculture. However, a steady decline in the availability of in-situ measurements of climatic and hydrologic variables makes it difficult to simulate water resource availability with hydrological models. In this study, a modeling framework was set up for sparsely-gauged catchments in West Africa using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), whilst largely relying on remote sensing and reanalysis inputs. The model was calibrated using two different strategies and validated using discharge measurements. New in this study is the use of a multi-objective validation conducted to further investigate the performance of the model, where simulated actual evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and total water storage were evaluated using remote sensing data. Results show that the model performs well (R2 calibration: 0.52 and 0.51; R2 validation: 0.63 and 0.61) and the multi-objective validation reveals good agreement between predictions and observations. The study reveals the potential of using remote sensing data in sparsely-gauged catchments, resulting in good performance and providing data for evaluating water balance components that are not usually validated. The modeling framework presented in this study is the basis for future studies, which will address model response to extreme drought and flood events and further examine the coincidence with Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) total water storage retrievals. 
Language:English 
Keywords:SWAT hydrological model; GRACE total water storage; MODIS evapotranspiration; ESA-CCI soil moisture; modeling framework