A Comparison of a SWAT Model for the Cannonsville Watershed with and without Variable Source Area Hydrology

Woodbury, Josh; Shoemaker, Christine A.; Cowan, Dillon M.; Easton, Z. M.

doi:10.1061/41036(342)648

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…() re‐conceptualized SWAT to represent VSA hydrology (SWAT‐VSA) and demonstrated improved predictions of run‐off source areas and P loss in a glaciated watershed with shallow permeable soils above a relatively continuous restrictive layer on a steep to moderately sloped landscape. The promising results from that and other recent SWAT‐VSA projects (Pradhanang et al ., ; Woodbury et al ., ) justify an expansion of its testing to more complex agricultural landscapes with more variably drained soils and a less consistent restrictive layer, all of which complicate the hydrologic and chemical processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting phosphorus dynamics in complex terrains using a variable source area hydrology model

et al. 2014

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Fuka, Daniel R.; Kleinman, Peter J.A.; Buda, Anthony R.; Weld, Jennifer L.; White, Mike J.; Veith, Tamie L.; Bryant, Ray B.; Bolster, Carl H.; and Easton, Zachary M., "Predicting phosphorus dynamics in complex terrains using a variable source area hydrology model" (2014 Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural watersheds has long been a critical water quality problem, the control of which has been the focus of considerable research and investment. Preventing P loss depends on accurately representing the hydrological and chemical processes governing P mobilization and transport. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a watershed model commonly used to predict run-off and non-point source pollution transport. SWAT simulates run-off employing either the curve number (CN) or the Green and Ampt methods, both assume infiltration-excess run-off, although shallow soils underlain by a restricting layer commonly generate saturation-excess run-off from variable source areas (VSA). In this study, we compared traditional SWAT with a re-conceptualized version, SWAT-VSA, that represents VSA hydrology, in a complex agricultural watershed in east central Pennsylvania. The objectives of this research were to provide further evidence of SWAT-VSA's integrated and distributed predictive capabilities against measured surface run-off and stream P loads and to highlight the model's ability to drive sub-field management of P. Thus, we relied on a detailed field management database to parameterize the models. SWAT and SWAT-VSA predicted discharge similarly well (daily Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.61 and 0.66, respectively), but SWAT-VSA outperformed SWAT in predicting P export from the watershed. SWAT estimated lower P loss (0.0-0.25 kg ha À1 ) from agricultural fields than SWAT-VSA (0.0-1.0+ kg ha À1 ), which also identified critical source areas -those areas generating large run-off and P losses at the sub-field level. These results support the use of SWAT-VSA in predicting watershed-scale P losses and identifying critical source areas of P loss in landscapes with VSA hydrology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%