| Title: | SWAT+ versus SWAT2012: Comparison of sub-daily urban runoff simulation |
| Authors: | Her, Y. and J. Jeong |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Journal: | Transactions of the ASABE |
| Volume (Issue): | 61(4) |
| Pages: | 1287-1295 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.13031/trans.12600 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT+ & SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
| Primary Application Category: | model and/or data comparison |
| Secondary Application Category: | hydrologic assessment |
| Watershed Description: | 149.8 ha Brentwood drainage area, located in the city of Austin in central Texas, U.S. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | The current FORTRAN code of SWAT (SWAT2012) is being rebuilt to ease new model and module development by incorporating object-oriented programming techniques into defining spatial objects and calculating variables. SWAT+, the new SWAT code, is expected to offer flexible watershed representation with linked spatial objects. Ideally, SWAT+ produces outputs that are comparable to SWAT2012, if not identical, when the two versions of SWAT are set with the same input for a watershed. However, the drastic restructuring of the source code may cause unexpected results in the output, especially when compared with the current SWAT2012 model that has a long history of model validation. In this technical note, we compare sub-daily, daily, and monthly hydrographs provided by SWAT2012 and SWAT+ that were prepared for a small urban watershed in Austin, Texas. The model parameters were calibrated to 15 min and daily runoff observed in the watershed. SWAT+ was on par with SWAT2012 in predicting streamflow at daily and monthly scales. However, the HRU-level flow routing scheme newly added to SWAT+ created multiple peaks in the sub-daily hydrographs, suggesting a need to further improve the water transport simulation strategies. This technical note provides ideas of how SWAT+ is organized and if a SWAT modeler can maintain consistency in modeling results when shifting from the original code to the new code. In addition, this technical note discusses the potential for improved SWAT+ modeling |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Model calibration, Storm event, Sub-daily simulation, SWAT, Urban watershed. |