Evaluation of the SWAT Model for the Simulation of Flow and Water Balance Based on Orbital Data in a Poorly Monitored Basin in the Brazilian Amazon

Paulo Ricardo Rufino, Björn Gücker, Monireh Faramarzi, Iola Gonçalves Boëchat, Francielle da Silva Cardozo, Paula Resende Santos, Gustavo Domingos Zanin, Guilherme Mataveli and Gabriel Pereira ()
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Paulo Ricardo Rufino: Department of Geography—PPGF, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Björn Gücker: Department of Geosciences, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei 36307-352, Brazil
Monireh Faramarzi: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
Iola Gonçalves Boëchat: Department of Geosciences, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei 36307-352, Brazil
Francielle da Silva Cardozo: Department of Geosciences, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei 36307-352, Brazil
Paula Resende Santos: Department of Geography—PPGF, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Gustavo Domingos Zanin: Department of Geography—PPGF, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Guilherme Mataveli: Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos 12227-010, Brazil
Gabriel Pereira: Department of Geography—PPGF, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil

Geographies, 2022, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: The Amazon basin, the world’s largest river basin, is a key global climate regulator. Due to the lack of an extensive network of gauging stations, this basin remains poorly monitored, hindering the management of its water resources. Due to the vast extension of the Amazon basin, hydrological modeling is the only viable approach to monitor its current status. Here, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a process-based and time-continuous eco-hydrological model, to simulate streamflow and hydrologic water balance in an Amazonian watershed where only a few gauging stations (the Jari River Basin) are available. SWAT inputs consisted of reanalysis data based on orbital remote sensing. The calibration and validation of the SWAT model indicated a good agreement according to Nash-Sutcliffe (NS, 0.85 and 0.89), Standard Deviation Ratio (RSR, 0.39 and 0.33), and Percent Bias (PBIAS, −9.5 and −0.6) values. Overall, the model satisfactorily simulated water flow and balance characteristics, such as evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and groundwater. The SWAT model is suitable for tropical river basin management and scenario simulations of environmental changes.

Keywords: hydrological modeling; water resources; Amazon basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q15 Q5 Q53 Q54 Q56 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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