Modeling Water Yield: Assessing the Role of Site and Region-Specific Attributes in Determining Model Performance of the InVEST Seasonal Water Yield Model

Abstract

Simple hydrological models, such as the Seasonal Water Yield Model developed by the Natural Capital Project (InVEST SWYM), are attractive as data requirements are relatively easy to satisfy. However, simple models may produce unrealistic results when the underlying hydrological processes are inadequately described. We used the variation in performance of the InVEST SWYM across watersheds to identify correlates of poorly modeled outcomes of InVEST SWYM. We grouped 749 watersheds from across North America into five bioclimatic regions using nine environmental variables. For each region, we compared the predicted flow patterns to actual flow conditions over a 15-year period. The correlation between the modeled and actual flows was highly dispersed and relatively poor, with 92% of r2 values less than 0.5 and 42% less than 0.1. We linked cryospheric variables to model performance in the bioclimatic region with the poorest model performance (the Low elevation Boreal Sub-humid region—LeBSh). After incorporating cryospheric conditions into the InVEST SWYM, predictions improved significantly in 30% of the LeBSh watersheds. We provide a relatively straightforward approach for identifying processes that simple hydrological models may not consider or which need further attention or refinement.

Multi-Time Scale Evaluation of Forest Water Conservation Function in the Semiarid Mountains Area

“…The current research mainly combines the water balance method with remote sensing and hydrological models to study the difference in AFWC and its spatial distribution in the basin [24,25]. However, most of the existing studies use the average annual runoff to calibrate the model parameters and obtain the average multiyear value of AFWC, which not reflects the AFWC at smaller time scales [26][27][28].…”

Application of the InVEST Model to Quantify the Water Yield of North Korean Forests

“…Furthermore, in China InVEST modeling has been used in the design of China's national ecosystem assessment (CEA) tool to address, at both a national and regional scale, changes in ecosystem services [12]. Scordo et al grouped 749 watersheds from across North America into five bioclimatic regions using nine environmental variables to compare the predicted flow patterns to actual flow conditions using the InVEST model [13]. In the UK, Redhead et al [14] validated a hydrological ecosystem service model using widely available global and national-scale datasets; their results suggested that relatively simple models, such as InVEST, can yield accurate ecosystem service measurements.…”

Spatial and Temporal Heterogeneity Analysis of Water Conservation in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei Urban Agglomeration Based on the Geodetector and Spatial Elastic Coefficient Trajectory Models

“…The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model is a tool used for ecosystem service assessment to support environmental decision making developed in 2007 by the Stanford University, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Nature Conservancy (Tallis et al, 2014). The data required by the model are simple and easy to collect (Scordo et al, 2018). Compared with other hydrological models, the water yield model in InVEST has mapping and spatial analysis functions under ArcGIS.…”